Lovely Daydreamers
by StoryboardMortician
Summary: You want me to act like we've never kissed, you want to forget; pretend we've never met , and I've tried and I've tried, but I haven't yet... You walk by, and I fall to pieces.
1. Permanent Vacation

**Author's Note: I do not own any InuYasha characters including InuYasha himself. Also, when the other characters address Inu-shu, they are addressing InuYasha. Inu-shu just means Dog Lord. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Permanent Vacation**

_**Ch.1**_

"What are you gonna do about Kouga?" asked a young teenage girl with long black hair and dark, chocolate brown eyes. Her face was twisted in an expression of confusion and worry.

"I don't know Ely. I really don't know," replied the other teenage girl standing besides her. She ran her long, black nails through her medium length blonde and purple streaked hair. As she stood, gazing out into the blue sky, she sighed and closed her bright, aqua colored eyes. She twisted the silver class ring she wore absent mindedly as her thoughts began to wander.

"Have you tried talking to him? Maybe he's just one of those guys who waits for the girl to make the first move. You can't just stand around and do nothing Kagome," Ely said as looked at her friend. She saw how tired and worn out she seemed to be. Her normally smiling face was almost expressionless and the skin around her mouth was stretched tight, a sign of stress. "You look like death. He's killing you, you know that?" Ally thought to herself as she watched her best friend walk away, the black mini skirt splattered with off white skulls she wore fluttered in the wind as she walked.

"What's up with her?" asked a voice from behind Ely. She jumped slightly as she turned around and came face-to-face with a short girl with long, black hair streaked with vibrant orange, blue, and red color. The girls deep, hazel eyes searched Ely's, hoping for an answer.

"She's just stressed. Man Sym, I don't know what to do with her. She looks so sick, I don't like it," Ely said, looking behind her again, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kagome, but she was gone.

"It's mainly Kouga right? Is he the one she's stressing about, or what?" Sym said, placing her hands in the pockets of her hoodie as a soft, spring breeze rustled the now in bloom trees.

"Yeah, but I don't think that's it. Sure, it's most of the problem, but I think there's something else, something she's not telling us. I don't know, I'm just stressing because she's stressing I guess," Ely said as she sighed deeply and shook her head, frowning slightly. Her plump lips squeezed together as she did and she ran her tongue over them. Shhe smiled slightly as a thought hit her.

"What?" Sami said, spying the small smile and a small smile of her own formed on her smooth, black colored lips.

"I was just thinking of something she told me just the other day," she said, and as she did, the smile vanished.

"What was it?" Sym asked, shrugging in her white and purple cheetah felt hoodie.

"She said 'Don't worry love, I'll be there for you, always. No dim-witted boy can get us down or get in our way. Hoes over bro's Ely-love, hoes over bro's.' But now I have this weird feeling that she won't always be there for me, but that it won't be a guy that takes her away…" she trailed off and gazed into the now overcast spring sky. Sym followed her gaze and she thought, just for a second, that the clouds formed a Shinigami.

* * *

"Have you guys seen Kagome?" Ely asked as she walked over to Sym and a boy with short, straight brown hair.

"No. Have you Miroku?" Sym asked the boy. He was about the same size as Sym, about 5'5, and his dark brown eyes always seemed so alive. He looked up for a second, held his chin with his gloved hand, and stroked it as he thought.

"Always with the dramatics," Ely thought as she watched him.

"Nope, sorry Ely. Why?" he asked her, his dark eyes were now burning with curiosity. But there seemed to be something else, was it worry Ely thought?

"Because I haven't heard from her in almost two days. I'm like _**REALLY**_ worried you two. I…" but she was interrupted when she felt someone breathing on her neck. As she turned around, she confronted a tall, young teen with long white hair. He had a faint 5-o'clock shadow and the smile that played on his lips was that of curiosity but also of something more. His amber eyes flashed with a momentary apology before he crossed his arms and looked down at her. He stood a good foot taller than her and she gritted her teeth together to keep from punching him.

"What the fuck Inu-shu?! You scared the shit outta me! _**UGH**_!!" Ely said as she leaned and rested her forehead against the cold, green metal of her locker.

"What's wrong. I heard you talking about Kagome and came over to see if you knew where she was," he said. His unusual sandy eyes were filled with a mixture of interest, concern, and bliss. What she wouldn't give to see what he was thinking.

"I was hoping maybe you could tell me. I haven't heard from her for a few days," Ely said as she turned around and rested the back of her head against the locker. Her chest swelled as she fought to hold back the tears that had begun to rapidly build up in her eyes. She placed a hand over her [large] left breast and felt her heart beat rapidly beneath it.

"Calm down Ely. I'm sure she's fine. She's probably just taking a well deserved break," Inu-shu said as he put down his messenger bag and stretched. As he did, his tight, black shirt came up, exposing his V and the beginning of his 6-pack abs.

"Damn, now I know why he's such a man whore. His body is down right killer, and his face isn't half bad either," Sym thought with a smile as she looked at him and then she turned her attention back to Ely.

"I hope so, I really do," Ely sighed.

Where was she? Was she ok? Was she really sick? Was she in the hospital? Did the stress of not talking to Kouga finally take its toll and give her a nervous breakdown? Did she try to commit suicide? _**DID**_ she commit suicide? The bell rang sharply, scattering her thoughts.

"I'll just not worry about it anymore. If something bad had happened, then someone would have told me…I hope" she thought to herself as she hugged everyone goodbye and walked down the stairs to her class, her thoughts still swirling around what had become of her best friend.

* * *

"Ok, I'll talk to you later tonight Sym," Ely said as she gave the girl a hug and began to walk away.

"Not even a hello for your best friend?" came a welcoming and familiar voice from beside her. She whipped her head around towards the sound of the voice, her black hair flying around her head as she did.

"Kagome??!!" Ely said as she looked at the girl leaning against the wall of the school.

"In the flesh love," Kagome said with a smile. She was unusually pale and her smile seemed forced, but her eyes seemed more alive than ever. Yet, it seemed to Ely that there was something else in those bright, aqua eyes.

"_**OH MY GOD KAGOME**_!!! Where have you been?!" Ely said as she threw her arms around her best friends neck. As Kagome hugged her back, Ely noticed how weak her hug was and how brittle the girl felt as she hugged her.

"I've been sick Ely, real sick. I just came back to say good-bye to everyone," Kagome said as she zipped up her The UsedÔ hoodie and shivered even though there was no breeze of any kind and the sun was beating down on them.

"What do you mean your last day? What are you talking about?" Ely asked, bewildered by Kagome's words.

"I'm dying love. Hence I've come to say goodbye…to everyone," Kagome said as her gaze wandered over to a boy standing in a group of people, smoking. He was tall, 6'0 or so. He was slightly dark skinned and had dark, brown eyes that burned with intelligence and life. Sensing someone's gaze, he turned his head in their direction and locked eyes with Kagome.

"Dying? What are you talking about? Wait, what are you gonna do to say good-bye? Good-bye, I must be dreaming…." Ely said as she saw her friends eyes flash and a look of mischief, but also of great sorrow, overtook her now light blue eyes.

"Her eyes do that," Ely thought, "according to the mood she's in…creepy." She gave a little shudder and held herself in a one person hug. She also noticed that there was something different about the way Kagome acted. Instead of being her usual soft spoken and reserved self, she was now very sultry and seemed to be the kind of girl you would expect to get expelled for setting the school on fire.

"She's like a whole different person…" she thought as she looked at her friend, but then the force of what Kagome had said finally sunk in, to some degree.

"Do you really wanna know what I want to do, because it's something I should have done some time ago. Just watch and you'll see," Kagome said as she walked toward Kouga, who was now looking back at one of his friends. Although she was now afraid of Kagome and did not wish to follow, her body betrayed her and she trailed after the girl Ely could no longer recognize.

"Kouga. I need to talk to you. Now," Kagome said as she walked right up and faced him. He looked at her as he took the cigarette from his lips and blew out a small cloud of smoke. A puzzled expression was fixed on his face, though he blushed a bit .

"Well…" but he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before she was kissing him. At first he didn't know what was happening, but when he felt her run her tongue across the roof of his mouth, a shiver of pleasure shot through him. He began to kiss her back, tasting her tongue and running his across the roof of her mouth as hers ran across his sharp canine teeth.

"I wasn't expecting this, but damn does she taste good…" he thought as she pushed harder against him, one hand around his neck and the other up his shirt. As her fingers passed by his nipple, he felt his back run into the tree behind him. Now she pushed her thin, lean body even harder against him. He felt her breasts press against him and her groin push up against his developing hard-on. Their tongues met and seemed to intertwine before he pushed his tongue into her mouth and down her throat. He felt her bite down softly on his tongue stud as he pulled his tongue back. As quickly as it happened, though, it was over and he was looking into her now pale green eyes.

"Kagome, I…" but she just put a long, slender finger to his lips. As he looked into her eyes, she took the nearly burned out cigarette from his fingers and inhaled deeply. He saw her close her eyes and then exhale a trail of white smoke from her pursed lips. Her eyes opened and they were once again aqua, but they no longer shone brightly. They were now entirely filled with an unbearable sadness no one could ever hope or even want to imagine.

"Goodbye Kouga" she whispered to him as she placed the cigarette back into his fingers and gave him one last kiss before she turned around and seemed to bow before him and Ely. Before Ely could clear the tears from her eyes and Kouga could gather his sense, she was gone.

* * *

"Hey Kagome, where are you going?" came a voice from behind her. She stopped and turned her head to see Inu-shu walking towards her. As she saw him, her heart seemed to beat faster and she had to look away quickly.

"I was on my way home. I've got some packing to do," she said as she regained her composure and turned to face him completely. He stopped in front of her and smiled.

"Where you going?" he asked as he put his nearly empty black "Immortal Technique" messenger bag on the ground and stretched. She looked at him and smiled sadly. She never really thought much of him besides a true friend, but it seemed that no matter what, whenever he came around, she felt at peace.

"I'm going off to Florida to die" she said, trying to sound indifferent, but her voice trembled a bit.

"Die? What do you mean?" he asked he cocked his head to one side, trying to grasp her words. His white hair, fixed into the emo style, fell away so that she could see both of his bright, light colored eyes. She felt her heart nearly thunder out of her chest as his eyes bore into her. She looked away towards the sun set and sighed heavily.

"I have cancer Inu-shu and they don't expect me to live another month, so I'm going off to Florida," she said finally breaking out into tears. She fell to her knees and put her head in her hands as she sobbed. Even though he was taken back by her words, he gathered her up in his arms, walked over to a tree, sat down, and hugged her against him as she cried. He placed his chin on her head and tried not to be overcome himself. Then he realized that if she was going to leave him, then he needed to tell her what he had always wanted to say.

"Have you ever heard the saying 'some things are better left unsaid?' " he whispered into her ear as she slowly stopped crying. She wiped away her tears and was know just in his arms, her head resting on his chest. She never really realized how strong he was until now. His arms were wrapped around her and she could feel his solid abs through his thin, red shirt. She lightly placed a hand on one of the arms that held her and she felt the strong, solid biceps under her fingertips.

"Yes, why do you ask?" she asked as she closed her eyes as the feeling of peace she felt when she was with him begin to set in. She nestled deeper into his arms and sighed contently.

"Do you agree with it?" he asked as he stared at the sky that was beginning to darken, ignoring her question.

"No. I believe that if you have something to say then you have to say it because you may never get another chance to, but why do you ask?" she repeated, this time raising her head to look at him curiously.

"Well, since your gonna leave me and never come back, I think it's a good time to tell you something. It's kinda one of those should or shouldn't I questions," he said as he looked down into her eyes and saw that they were calm and beautiful. It was this ocean of peace and serenity that made him calm and full when inside he felt angry and alone.

"Tell me what it is Inu-shu," she said as she closed her eyes and just listened to his heart beat. She felt him draw in a deep breath and after a few seconds, let it out. He held her tighter as he tried to gather the nerve to tell her.

"First off, you can call me InuYasha. You know that you're the only one that knows my true name and I told you for a reason," he said as he placed his head on the back of the tree and ran his fingers through his hair, laughing slightly.

She giggled delicately before looking up at him, saying, "Ok, _**InuYasha**_, what do you want me to know?"

"Well…I," but he couldn't say it. The words stuck in his throat and it seemed as if his heart was beating so fast that it would just burst.

"Just say it, you know I won't judge or laugh at you, so just tell me. I would say you have all the time in the world, but…" she said as she grabbed his chin. Strands of his white mane brushed against her long fingers, as turned his face towards hers and she in turn raised her eyebrows in a 'go ahead' fashion. He just closed his eyes and gulped.

"Well Kagome……..…..I've loved you since the first day I met you and I always will and I'm sorry that it took me so long to tell you but I didn't want to loose you so I never told you but since your dying and all…" he blurted out in a jumble of words. He drew a breath in and looked over at her. Her eyes were focused on his and he saw a single tear fall from her eye. He was about to say something when he felt her grab his hand and her lips stop his words. He was stunned at first, but he quickly grasped what had happened and kissed her back. She felt his lip ring rub against her bottom lip as he opened his mouth and slipped his tongue into her mouth. He opened his eyes after she pulled away and saw that there were tears falling from her bright, blue eyes. He put his hand to her cheek and wiped them off with his thumb, leaving his hand on her cheek. She placed her hand on his and she smiled, her now pale blue eyes never leaving his. She stood up and smiled down at him. Then she bent over and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you InuYasha," she whispered in his ear before she got up, turned her back on him, but stopped and looked back. Their eyes met one last time before she walked away and out of his life. As she disappeared from his view, the sky opened up and seemed to weep, masking his own tears.


	2. Anniversary

_**Author's Note: I do not own InuYasha or any other InuYasha characters. **_

_**

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_**Anniversary**_

_**Ch.2**_

"Hey Inu-shu, are you coming with me and Sym to the movies today after school? It's a half day after all," Ely said to the boy who was standing next to her, staring off into space, either absorbed in his thoughts or just simply spaced out.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I guess. What movie are we gonna go see?" he asked as he ran his fingers through his white hair which was now much longer now and hung in front of his eyes. He had ditched the emo style after Kagome left. Now he just left it the way it was when he climbed out of bed. He had also become more withdrawn, spending more time by himself looking up at the sky or just lost somewhere within himself. Ely knew it was because of Kagome and it hurt her to see him this way. She cared for him and the more he was gone in himself, the more she felt that she was loosing him just as she had lost Kagome.

It had been nearly a year since Kagome had left and the last anyone had heard of her was that her family had moved out to Florida after her death. Ely couldn't stand loosing another close friend and so she was constantly trying to bring him back to reality; to them.

"We're going to go see 'The Cosmic Puppets'. It's a book remake by one of Kagome's favorite authors, and since today is the 1st year anniversary of her death, I thought it would be appropriate," Ely said as her thoughts turned toward Kagome. The last she had heard from her personally was a few hours before she had died. She had said, in a Myspace message, that she had been feeling better and that maybe she wasn't going to kick the can after all. She died a few hours later. Her mom had called and told her. There was no funeral though, she had wanted to be cremated and her ashes had been spread along the ocean.

"Ely? Earth to Ely! You still there?" Inu-shu said passing a hand in front of her face. She blinked and then smiled.

"Yeah, I was just thinking of Kagome, that's all," she said as she picked up her book bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"I'll meet you here after school and we can get Sym and go. Sound cool?" she asked him, as she gave him a tight hug.

"Yeah, sounds good. Oh, and Ely. Don't think to much of Kagome, she'd hate to see you so upset," he said and with that he walked off. Ely stood there just a while longer and watched him go.

"He's right you know," she thought to herself, "she really would hate to see you so upset, besides, you have to worry about other shit. So stop being so damn emo and get going!" she thought and smiled slightly as she shook her head and walked off.

"Hey Kouga! Are you gonna come with us to see 'The Cosmic Puppets'?" Sym called over to him. He turned around and gestured to give him a minute. He handed his square over to one of his friends and walked over to them.

"Yeah, of course. We goin' now?" he asked as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his worn out blue jeans. He looked over at Ely and rested his gaze on her. As she looked at him, they locked eyes and Ely felt herself drawn to his dark, seemingly black eyes. She felt her heart flutter and she quickly broke eye contact as she bent over and picked up her bag.

"Yep, so lets get going," Ely said as she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked off with Inu-shu, Sym, and Kouga in tow.

* * *

"Oh my God! What a fucking awesome movie!" Sym said as they walked out of the theater and into the humid September air.

"Seriously. I think I know why you and Kagome loved that Dick guy so much now. His books are like whoa!" Ely said smiling as she brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"Yeah, and I heard that the girl that wrote the screenplay, Temperance, is only like 17 or 18," Inu-shu said, stretching a bit. Both Sym and Ely looked at him as he did. It had become a habit to look at him when he stretched because of how built, yet slim he had become after Kagome left. The way his abs contracted when he reached towards the sky was almost heart stopping. They always made sure, though, to quickly look away before he noticed them staring.

"Man, I'd love to meet her. I wonder what she's like," Sym said as they walked to the bus stop.

"If she wrote that, she must be smart and I bet she's interesting company," Kouga said as he lit up a square.

"Must you do that around us? If I go home smelling like smoke, my mom's gonna think I'm smoking…again" Ely said waving her hand in front of her face.

"Sorry. I'm trying to quit," he said as he reluctantly put it out.

"No big, I know how hard it is, but hanging out with them pot-heads doesn't help you know," Ely said as she fished through her purse for her bus card. He looked up at her and frowned, but he knew she was right.

"Hey, you know what I just realized?" Inu-shu said as he leaned against the glass pane of the bus shelter.

"What?" Sym said as she took out her ringing cell phone.

"I was just thinking that Temperance was one of Kag's nicknames, that's all," he said shrugging slightly as he looked up into the blue September sky.

"He's right you know. Cool," Kouga said as the bus pulled up and they all got on, but as Inu-shu got on the bus he took one last look at the sky and smiled.


	3. Temperance

_**Author's Note: Still don't own any InuYasha charcaters or the sexy hanyuo himself.**_

* * *

**Temperance**

_**Ch.3**_

"There's a new girl in Kagome's old division, or so I've heard," Sym said as she walked up to Ely who was sitting at the base of a tree, sketching the sky.

"Really? What's her name?" Ely said, looking up at the girl. "And did you dye your hair, again?"

"I don't know and yes. You like?" the girl said as she ran her fingers through her now purple hair.

"Yeah, it's very…purple," Ely said laughing.

"Yeah, thanks," Sym said rolling her eyes.

"A new girl huh…" Ely said to herself as she leaned back against the trunk and half smiled at the thought.

* * *

"Hi, I'm Temperance," said a tall, young teenage girl. She was smiling brightly and her black snake bites stood out against her thin, pink lips. Her long purple, black and pink hair was free around her shoulders and just enough fell on her face so that only one of her blue eyes shone through.

"Hi…" Ely said, studying her.

"I hear your new here. Where you from?" Sym said, crossing her arms as she leaned against a tree.

"Yeah, I enrolled yesterday. I'm actually from Chicago, but my family moved out to Florida, but now I'm back," she said putting her hands into her black shorts and looked over at some of the people that had gathered out in front of the school. Ely studied the new girl with keen interest and slight distaste. She was tall and thin with a slight build. Her clothes were skin tight, helping to accentuate her figure; a tight shirt for her medium sized, perky breasts and skin tight, black shorts that showed off her nice round ass and slightly muscular, long legs . Her skin was also a milky white and seemed to be baby smooth and smelled of Jasmine and baby powder. The more Ely looked at her, the more jealous of and drawn to her she became.

"Why come back, _**IF**_ you don't mind me asking?" Ely said as she followed the girls' gaze.

"I have my reason's. Whose that, _**IF**_ you don't mind me asking?" the girl said looking at Ely with an expression that seemed oddly familiar and arrogant.

"Who?" Ely said, looking at the new girl queerly.

"Him," she said as she pointed to Inu-shu with a long, black nail. He was standing in the middle of the open campus, just looking up at the sky.

"That's Inu-shu, one of our best friends. Why?" Sym asked pushing herself off the tree.

" 'Cuz he's cute. That's all," she said as she smiled slightly, showing off a sharpened canine tooth, and walked off.

"Who was that?" Kouga said as he flicked his square away and watched Temperance walk away. He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ely and she felt him brush up against her. Her heart fluttered again and she took a deep breath and moved away. She ran her fingers through her hair and put on a smile, but on the inside she was freaking out and didn't know why.

"I don't know really, but I think I can get to like her," Ely said as she leaned against the tree and continued to smile.


	4. True Identities

_**Author's Note: I do not own any InuYasha characters as well as the hanyuo himself.**_

_***Just a few minor details pertaining to the true identity of Inu-shu etc. have been changed to help make the story line flow better. ENJOY!***_

* * *

**True Identities**

_**Ch.4**_

"I gotta go guys! See you tomorrow!" Temperance said as she gave Ely a hug and ran off.

"She's cute," Inu-shu said as he watched her get into her Spider and take off, only to drive over to BeBoBa. As he watched her go, his thoughts wandered to Kagome and a pain ran through his heart, mingled with guilt. He turned away and looked at his friends.

"And totally loaded," Kouga said as he rubbed his blood shot eyes.

"You really need to lay off the pot Kouga," Ely said as she looked over at him. She wasn't sure is she felt sorry for him, that she was worried about him, or both.

"Yeah, whatever," he said as he rolled his eyes and walked off. As he walked away, he had a moment of clarity and looked back at Ely and then looked away, ashamed. His moment of shame was shattered though as one of his 'friends' walked over to him and handed him a joint.

" 'Yeah, whatever'. I swear, that boy…" Sym said as she walked up and shook her head. "Where'd Temperance go?"

"She had to run. Did you see where Inu-shu went?" Ely said, realizing that he was no longer standing next to her.

"Nope, why? Does Ely have a _**CRUSH**_ on him?" Sym said laughing lightly.

"No! God…" Ely said, smiling. She knew [or thought she knew] she did and she was certain he knew to. Now that Temperance was around, she felt that she was loosing him to her.

Sym just shook her head and walked off.

"Where did you disappear to yesterday Inu-shu? We were supposed to hang but you were like, gone," Ely said to him as he walked up to her.

"I met up with someone," he said brushing some of his now black and white from his face. He had cut his hair so that the back was black, short and messy, while the front was still white and was once again, emo styled. Ever since Temperance had shown up, he had gone back to being the old Inu-shu and she was glad but sad at the same time. He may have been back to his old self, but she was still loosing him to Temperance. She felt as if she could never win.

"Who?" Ely said as she felt a stab of overwhelming jealousy. She looked at him standing in front of her and began to get 'hot'. She saw how his tight, dark blue shirt made him seem thin, yet built for you could see the outline of his abs through it. His tight, black jeans made his legs seem thin, but muscular and his hair covering his face added a bit of mystery to his overall appealing appearance. He saw her looking at him oddly and smiled, his black lip ring pressed against his bottom lip as he did.

"Doesn't matter who, so don't worry 'bout it," he said as smiled, gave her a hug, and walked away.

"Wait…" Ely said, still not able to understand what had just happened.

"Ely? You ok?" Sym said as she walked up to her friend.

"Yeah…" she said as she saw Inu-shu walk up to a black Spider and get in.

* * *

"Inu-shu, tell me about Kagome," Temperance said as she closed her eyes. She had her head on his chest and could hear his heart beat. He was running his fingers through her hair and smiled softly as he thought of Kagome and felt Temperance against him. He had falling ever so slowly for her and now he found himself falling faster into oh so familiar territory; love. He couldn't though, he just couldn't deal with that pain again. But how was he to stop it once it had already begun?

"Kagome…well, she was my best friend and the one person whom I could tell anything too. She broke me outta my shell and was the first girl I ever knew that was cool with me being emo insane," he said, laughing softly.

"Did you love her?" Temperance asked as she raised her head and looked into his tawny eyes.

He looked at her and saw something in her eyes that he thought was familiar, instead of her eyes being blue, they were a dark green. He just smiled, put a hand to her cheek, and caressed it. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on his. As she did this, he had a sense of déjà vu. He just brushed it off and kissed her lips gently.

"I told her I did before she left. I think about that sometimes, but why do you ask?" he said as he closed his eyes, laid his head on his pillow, and began to drift off to sleep. Her scent was intoxicating to his sensitive senses and it was also so familiar. Jasmine with hints of baby powder; where had he known these smells before? He slipped into a sleep filled with purple and white haze of smells and familiar faces.

"I was just wondering…_**InuYasha,**_"she whispered in his ear. He thought he heard her say something, but he was already asleep. She smiled sadly as she gave him a soft kiss on his lips, got off the bed and began to walk out. She stopped for a moment at his door and looked back at the boy sleeping on the bed. She ran her eyes over his two-toned, black/white hair. She saw the way his arm was tucked away under the pillow and how the other arm was draped gently across his chest, which rose and fell with every breath. She ran her eyes over the long, slender legs crossed at the ankles, clad in faded black jeans. Last, she rose her eyes back up to his face and noticed how he had a small smile on his lips. She dropped her head, turned, and left.

* * *

Inu-shu woke with a start and looked around his room, a bit bewildered.

"Temperance…?" he said out loud, his voice seeming to echo in his empty room. Then he remembered something he thought was a dream and touched his lips gently.

"Did she called me…_**InuYasha**_? Shit!" he said as he looked at his clock and realized that he had to get his ass to school. Just as he was running out the door he stopped in his tracks. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something lying on his couch. He walked over to it, picked it up and as he looked at it, his heart skipped a beat.

"…it can't be," he said to himself as he pocketed what he found and left in a bigger hurry than before, except now he had a different reason to hurry with anger and hurt fueling him.

* * *

"Where is she?" Inu-shu said as he ran up to Ely and Sym.

"She's with Kouga. Are you ok though? You look outta breath," Ely said as she saw how he was hunched over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. She placed a hand on his back and swore she could feel his heart pounding and then realized that he wasn't out of breath, but was instead trying to calm himself. She heard what seemed like a deep growl issue from him and she moved her hand away from him, taking a step back cautiously. She had never really seen him like this and it frightened her a bit; had the growl she heard been real? She frowned reflexively at the thought and brushed it aside, marking it as a figment of her stressed out mind. He finally took in a deep breath and lifted his head and what she saw made her jerk her head back in surprise. His eyes were slightly red, almost as if blood had pooled into them from a slow acting hemorrhage somewhere behind them, but as she blinked they were once again their original golden color. She shook her head and made a mental note to go lie down for awhile after school because she was sure she was starting to have illusions caused by exhaustion.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Where's Kouga?" he said as he stood up and ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it out of his face.

"Where do you think? Out in front of Popeye's. That's all he does know that he dropped out. Hang in front of school and Popeye's getting stoned. What a waste…." but Ely's words fell on deaf ears for he was already running across the campus towards where Kouga and Temperance where.

"Damn he can run fast considering how tight his pants are," Sym said as she watched him run. Ely wasn't listening though, as her eyes followed him until he disappeared behind the lush green trees of the school's campus.

* * *

"Here, take a hit. It'll clear your head, promise," Kouga said as he handed Temperance a joint. She looked at it and turned it over in her fingers, examining it.

"It's not gonna kill you babe, just breath in," he said laughing a bit as he said it. She looked at him and saw his blood shot eyes. She just lowered her head and sighed.

"What happened to him? He's nothing like he used to be…" she thought as she raised it to her lips, but someone grabbed her wrist first roughly.

"Inu-shu?" she said as he looked at her with a mixed look of disgust, disappointment, and worry.

"What are you doing here?" Kouga and Temperance said simultaneously.

"I was about to ask you the same question," he said to Temperance, ignoring Kouga.

"I…" she stuttered, she was at a loss for words, but it wasn't that she was caught off guard, it was the look in his eyes that stole her words. He knew something, but what?

"Come on, we need to talk," he said as he took the joint from her limp fingers and handed it back to Kouga who just looked at him, then at Temperance, and then back at him.

"More for me," he finally said as he took a long drag and collapsed on the stone benches in a blissful state of drug induced ignorance.

* * *

"Inu-shu, I…" but she didn't get to finish before he grabbed her arm, threw her up against the school, and held her wrists down against the brick wall of the corner of the school. They where safely tucked away behind the school and the sun rising on the other side of the school seemed to further isolate them in the shadows.

"Who are you?" he said, looking straight into her eyes. She just looked down, but he pulled her off the wall and slammed her back against it. She grunted in pain and felt tears prick her eyes. She looked away, trying to divert her gaze.

"Look at me! _**WHO ARE YOU**_?" he hissed into her ear. Tears where falling down her face now, making her mascara run.

"What are you talking about Inu-shu? I'm Temperance!" she said, but he just yelled and let her go with a shove.

"Then explain this!" he said as he took a silver ring out from his pocket. It was small and had a green gem set atop it.

"Where did you get that?" she said as she grabbed her left hand instinctively.

"Tell me where you got this," he said as he held it out on his palm so she could see it better. Aside from the green gem, it had a small engraving that read "_Dog days own, dog boy's pone_." She went to grab it but he pulled his hand away and grabbed her wrist roughly.

"Where did you get this?" he asked as he twisted her wrist, causing her to wince in pain. His nails were digging into her tender flesh and beads of crimson blood had begun to form from under his fingers.

"Inu-shu, you hurting me…" she said as she went to grab his hand, but he grabbed her neck with his free hand and drove her back up against the school.

"_**TELL ME WHERE YOU GOT HER DAMN RING**_!" he yelled at her, twisting her wrist so hard that she yelled out in pain.

"It's mine damn it! It's _**MY FUCKING RING**_!" she screamed and she felt his grip go slack and she in turn pulled free of it.

"What…but that means…?" he said, looking up at her with his eyes wide with amazement. His mouth was slightly open in confusion and utter disbelief.

"Yes InuYasha…" she said as she stopped rubbing her neck and looked up at him with the one eye that wasn't hidden by multi-colored hair. He noticed that she had a small, sad smile on her lips.

"…that makes me Kagome."


	5. Picture Perfect Words

_**Author's Note: I do not own any InuYasha characters or the hanyuo himself. Oh, and I am adding two new chapters ahead of Hikari To Kage because I forgot I had them. They do belong in front of it and the two chapters are just fill ins and add a little foreshadowing to the rest of the story. Sorry bout that! Enjoy anyway!**_

_**

* * *

**_

**_ Picture Perfect Words_**

**_Ch. 5_**

"Hey Sym, can I talk to you really quick?" InuYasha said as he walked up to her. She turned toward him and she saw that he looked kind of anxious.

"Sure, what's up," Sym said as she walked out of the group of people she was standing with and went over to him.

"Lets walk somewhere father away," he said as he began to walk ahead of her rather quickly.

"Whoa, slow down man. Now stop and tell me what you wanna say," Sym said as she stopped and he walked back to her.

"If I tell you something, can you promise _**NOT**_ to tell anyone else?" he said as he looked around nervously and shoved his hands into the pockets of his tight plaid pants.

"Well if it's such a secret, then why are you going to tell me?" she asked him.

"Because I can't keep it in, I _**HAVE**_ to tell someone and you're the only person I can think of!" he said as he pulled his hands out of his pockets and began to pace.

"Why not tell Ely though? You guys are a thing, right? And stand still would you!" she said to him and he automatically stopped in his tracks and turned to her.

"No, me and Ely are _**ONLY**_ friends and if I told her what I'm about to tell you, I'm not sure she would take it so well," he said as he frowned and looked over at Ely who had just walked into the group Sym had left. She spotted them, waved at him and blew him a kiss. He put on a fake smile and waved back, but as he turned towards Sym, that smile vanished and he rubbed his temples.

"I'm guessing by your expressions you want to move farther away?" Sym said and rolled her eyes as he nodded and walked behind a small grove of trees near the school's O entrance.

"Well, what did you want to tell me, before you forget," she said. He looked around to make sure Ely couldn't see them and then leaned towards Sym and whispered something in her ear. As he said it, her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

As he finished, she looked at him and he smiled, a bit unsure. She was about to say something, but before she did, Temperance emerged from the school and looked over at both her and InuYasha.

"Go get her tiger," Sym said as she hugged him.

"Thanks Sym, and remember, not another soul can know!" he called out to her as he ran up to Temperance and picked her up in a swooping hug and spun her around. As he placed her back down, he gave her a kiss and they walked off toward her car. Sym just smiled and shook her head and walked back over to the group and for the moment, pushed what he had told her to the corner of her mind.

* * *

"Did you hear the news Ely? Ely? Oh for God's sake" Sym said as she walked up to the girl and tapped her hunched shoulder.

"Whoa, you scared me. What's up?" Ely said to her as she looked up from her sketch and took out her ear-buds so she could hear Sym better.

"I said, did your hear the news, or rather, the _**RUMOR**_ that's going round?" Sym repeated.

"No. Why, what is it?" Ely asked, crossing her arms. She was only mildly interested, she had other things on her mind, like what to do about Inu-shu.

"People are saying that our Temperance is the one that wrote all the screenplays for the Philip K. Dick book movies and that she has a house over in Florida and one on Candy Cane Lane. Oh, and you'll never guess who her lucky new boyfriend is, but that's a secret between me and him so…" Sym said, smiling a bit at the secret she was dying to tell her. She knew she had promised him she wouldn't tell, but she had to.

"Who is it!? Come on, you know you wanna tell me," Ely said poking Sym gently.

"Oh, of course I do! Ok, but don't say _**ANYTHING **_to anyone! Pinky promise me first," Sym said as she held out her small pinky finger and wagged it at Elyssa impatiently.

"Ok, pinky promise. Now **_TELL ME!"_** Ely said as she grabbed the girls shoulders and shook her playfully.

"Ok, her new boyfriend is…" Smy whispered the name into her ear, and on hearing the name, Ely's eyebrow's rose in surprise and at the same time, her heart broke.

"Wow, I knew she liked him, but I thought he liked…" Ely trailed off, but Sym knew what she was going to say.

"You thought he liked you right? Oh Ely babe, don't feel bad. We all knew he still has feelings for Kagome and Temperance just reminds him of her," Sym said.

"Well I gotta go, ok? Don't take it so hard ok? I still like you!" Sym said as she gave the girl a tight hug, kissed her cheek, and left.

Ely just stood in front of her canvas and stared at the picture she had been sketching. It was a dream she had been having for the past week. She ran her fingers over the faces she had carefully sketched from memory. One was Sym's face, the other was Inu-shu's and the last one was hers. Her and Sym had no mouths, only eyes that were crying. It was InuYasha who had a full face and his mouth was open and he was reaching out, as if he were trying to tell them something.

"What are you trying to say," she said as she traced the boys face with a long, red nail. Then she saw something she didn't remember drawing. There was a girl in a long black dress that was standing behind them, her bare feet seeming to leave foot prints on the canvas, like she had just walked into the picture. She was holding a jar full of water and resting on the bottom where two mouths, and a two hearts. She knew right away that the mouths belonged to her and Sym, but whose hearts were those, and who was this girl**_?_**


	6. Sketched Roses

**_Author's Note: This is the last missing chapter and then it goes back to Hikari To Kage. K, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Enjoy!_**

* * *

**_Sketched Roses_**

**Ch. 6**

"Are you gonna tell anyone else about us, or about _**YOU**_?" InuYasha asked Temperance as she pulled into her parking space in the school's lot.

"No, just you and that's it. I'm still not sure whether or not we should tell Sym or Ely about us," Temperance said as she turned off the car and turned to him.

"Right, about that. I kinda already told Sym…" he said, smiling awkwardly.

"What? Fuck, that means she's told Ely already and since Ely has the hot's for you, she'll hate me!" Temperance said as she smashed her head into the steering wheel. InuYasha looked at her, a bit scared.

"Sorry, I just needed to tell someone, and I'm sure Ely will understand, I hope," he said looking out the window at the looming school that seemed to cast a shadow on everything in its path. As he looked at it, an involuntary shudder rippled through his body.

"Are you ok _**InuYasha**_?"she asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

"Yeah, I'm cool," he said as he looked away, but the image of the looming building was still haunting him.

* * *

"I've given it up," came a voice from behind Ely. She turned away from her canvas and found her self looking into the clear, brown eyes of Kouga. Her heart jumped and began to beat faster, like it always did when he came around. She had also been seeing him around lately, talking to teachers and what not. Every time she saw him though, she would stop and talk to him a little more each time. Surprisingly, she had actually developed a crush on him, even though she never really liked him, even as a friend. She was glad to see him today because every time she saw him she was inspired, so to say, to draw.

"You gave up the Mardi Grasse for good, huh?" she said as she placed a hand on her hip and looked at him cynically, even though she believed him.

"I swear I did. You don't believe me, do you? I've actually been clean for about a month and I've even re-enrolled in school," he said. It seemed to her that he was trying to tell her something, but he wasn't doing such a good job.

"That's wonderful Kouga! You were much to smart to drop out," she said as she placed a hand on the top of her desk, above the sketch she was working on.

"Whose that?" he asked as he walked over to her and looked down on her sketch. It was a beautiful black and white charcoal drawing. The main focus was of a young man whose features where obscured by a gray cloud that seemed to hang over him. Above and behind him was a young girl in a long white dress that was clutching her head, as if she was unbelievable pain. The girl's long black hair fell over her face and at her feet was a puddle of black water.

"It's just a sketch," she said, blushing a bit.

"It's beautiful. What would make you draw it though 'cause it looks kinda, I don't know…emo?" he said smiling a bit at her as he turned toward her, his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Well, to be honest, _**YOU**_ kinda inspired it," she said as she looked down at her shoes and blushed even harder. If her head would have been raised, she would have seen that he was blushing as hard as she was.

"Really? So is that guy supposed to be me?" he said as he turned back towards the sketch.

"Yeah, that's you and that cloud is the haze you've been living in. That girl, well that girl is me," she said as she walked up next to him and traced the outline of the girl.

"Is she, or are _**YOU**_, ok?" he asked as he looked at the hunched figure and then back at Ely.

"Yeah, I'm fine. She's just a symbol of the frustration I've been feeling lately. Those tears are all the things stressing me out," she said as she looked at the sketch and then at him. She studied his features as he quietly looked at the sketch. He had his hands in the pockets of his worn jeans and the first and second buttons on his black, collared shirt were unbuttoned. He had popped his collar and it stood starkly against his neck, making him seem taller somehow and as he shifted his position, she saw a single red rose was in his breast pocket. Her eyes then ran across the outline of his built, yet slim form and she so figured that he must work out. She also saw the beginnings of The Misfits logo tattooed in the crease his arm made when bent at the elbow, even though his rolled up sleeves masked the rest of it.

"Why draw me and you in the same picture though?" he asked, bringing her back to reality.

"Oh, well there's a reason for that but it's really lame so don't worry about it," she said as she walked up to the drawing and began to roll it up.

"Wait," he said, as he gently grabbed her hand. She turned to look at him and her heart began to beat even faster as he looked into her eyes.

"Tell me, am I the one causing you to be stressed out?" he asked, never breaking eye contact.

His eyes were slowly engulfing her as they always had, but now she allowed herself to be fully taken in by them.

"Yes," she said, unable to lie to him anymore. It was as if he had total control over her now.

"Why?" he asked as he squeezed her hand a bit and leaned in closer to her. Their faces were so close that she could feel his hot breath against her face. It sent shivers of lust up her spine.

"Because I've been so worried about you. Whenever I see would you outside, burning up all your hopes, your dreams, and your future every time you would light another joint, it broke my heart. So I drew this to help myself cope with what I was feeling for you…" she stopped as he turned his head slightly and looked at her sideways.

"Feel for me?" he said coldly. The tone of his voice scared her and she broke away from him and walked over to the window and looked out. It was snowing and the sky was gray with a few patches of blue here and there. She wiped away a tear that had fallen and took a shaky breath in and breathed out.

He looked at her leaning against the window and he knew he had seemed cold. As he looked at her standing there, he felt that same feeling of shame and empathy he had always felt around her. It seemed that she was the only one who could bring out the human in him and make him think of anyone but himself as he had done for so long.

"What the fuck is wrong with me?! Go over there and tell her!" he swore to himself as he straightened up, pulled down his shirt, ran his fingers through his long brown hair and walked over to her. "I'm sorry Ely, it's just that, well…" he stopped as she looked at him sadly.

"Look Kouga, I like you. No, I more than like you. I don't know what it is yet, but I know it's more than a crush. I may act like I don't like you at all, but in some deep, dark corner of my heart, I've always felt something for you," she said calmly. It seemed to her that he didn't know how to answer, and she didn't expect him to. She just turned back towards the window and left him to his thoughts once again.

He stood there for what seemed like forever to him. She had always liked him, and he knew that. Even though he had had the hots for Kagome, he always harbored feelings for her. Not knowing what else to say, he just grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her towards him. Their lips met and Ely gasped, allowing Kouga's tongue entrance. As his tongue wrapped around hers, she seemed to melt into him. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. He felt her body against his and felt her slide her arms under his and place her hands on his shoulders. As they pulled away and looked at each other, Kouga remembered something and smiled.

"What?" Ely asked as she spied his smile.

"Well," he said as he let her go and took the now crushed rose from his pocket and looked at it.

"I _**WAS**_ going to give you this, but seeing that it's pretty much ruined…" he said as he looked at her and shrugged sadly. She just smiled and took it from him and breathed in its sweet scent, closing her eyes as she did.

"Thank you Kouga…thank you," she said as she opened her eyes and gave him a tight hug. He hugged her back and as she rested her head on his shoulder he whispered something in her ear.

"I love you, too," she said as she hugged him tighter and looked out the window into the now clear December sky.


	7. Hikari To Kage

_**Author's Note: I do not own InuYasha or any of the InuYasha related characters. I do however own this awesome story and thanks to everyone who's read and added! **_

_***Oh, and no, not much has been changed in this chapter, I just felt the need to fix some really big errors in the storyline. So if you've read it and want to read it again, be my guest! ENJOY!***_

* * *

_**Hikari To Kage**_

_**Ch. 7**_

"I've missed the snow," Temperance said as she looked out of her window at the cloud of white that was falling from the gray sky. InuYasha walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist and stood by her side. It had been nearly a month and a half since he had found out that she was indeed Kagome and he had never felt more at peace with how he felt; it was a welcome change from the loneliness he had harbored for so many years in her absence. He yearned to call her by her true name, to feel it roll of his tongue and send his sense reeling, but Temperance would have to do until she decided to tell everyone else.

"Eh, its just water," he said. He stared out at the snow and as she looked up at him, she saw what seemed to be a bit of distain in his eyes. She tried to suppress a smile, but she couldn't suppress her aura completely. She had come to learn that InuYasha was keenly sensitive to people's moods because he could sense their aura's; he never ceased to amaze her and that thought made a small smile shine in her eyes. He looked down at her and saw the awkward expression she had on her face and the smile that shone in her brilliantly clear, mossy eyes. He in turn grunted and walked out of the room. She giggled just soft enough so that he couldn't hear her and turned back to the window. Looking out into the white wonderland, she began to drift back to the days she had been away from everyone; the days of her "cancer." Anger flared in her, but she quickly suppressed it so as to not alarm InuYasha.

Those damn doctors had lied to her; had told her that she was dying of a type of cancer they had never encountered before. It was changing her in ways that they were sure would kill her in a shorter period of time than they could come up with a cure in. So she had packed up her life, left everyone she had loved behind, and prepared to die in a strange new place and state that her mother had suggested. Only when she had been in Florida for a few weeks had she gone through something more frightening and extraordinary than death. She breathed out a long stream of breath onto the clear window pane, leaving a large foggy patch on the cold glass. She raised one finger to it and drew a small Chinese symbol of past, present and future upon it.

As she did, the symbol melted and the foggy patch disappeared, as did the snow covered landscape beyond the window. The scene melted, melded together in a mix of colors and shapes and then began to solidify and take shape once again. As she watched, she saw the scene of her saying her final goodbye to InuYasha take form but soon the scene became a wisp of black, red, green, and white smoke as it changed again. The smoky apparitions soon formed again and this time it was her. Temperance drew in a sharp breath as she saw herself kneeling in be a large temple surrounded by a dozen people in red and black hooded robes. The past version of herself raised its head and from her lips issues a scream of unimaginable pain, but that scream soon turned into a piercing howl as her eyes turned to a deep crimson with deep blue slit pupils. As past her finally struggled to her feet, she stood hunched over and trembling as her fingers painfully curved into sharpened talons and her bones broke loudly and reformed as she grew a few feet taller. Soon the transformation was over and standing on the other side of the window pane was her true form. Now standing before her was a being more powerful than she could have ever imagined, a true, full blooded Hikari To Kage demoness; the sound of it in her head was even more unreal than the truth. Demons didn't exist, they were only wise tales told to naughty children to scare them. Yet, in a matter of minutes, she had become what had lived inside of her, waiting for its chance to be free.

Temperance felt tears sting her eyes, but the scene quickly faded again and soon turned to a new setting, one she had never seen before. Before her was a wooded landscape with vaporous white fog snaking around the large tress and through the legs of InuYasha who stood before her. She was wearing a long white, silk kimono and he was wearing a fire-red kimono, an outfit that she found queer for him to be wearing, though it looked both right and eerily familiar on him. The future her reached out a taloned hand to his face,and as present her watched, she saw that there were tears in the usually stoic InuYasha's eyes. He closed his eyes and as future Kagome whispered into his ear, she thrust the hand that was not rested on his cheek into his chest. His body convulsed violently as she ripped the still beating heart out of him. He fell to his knees and before her eyes, the human, golden eyed InuYasha she knew and loved, looked up with eyes that burned a blood red and smoldered with an overpowering abhorrence; his bones broke violently and reformed, his fingers curled and perilously long claws took their place. Long, heliotrope stripes had slowly formed across his cheeks and his lips had peeled back into a snarl that made her blood run cold. She had somehow transformed him into a full youkia, and as the scene changed, it showed her fighting him in her true form, and as he battled to control her, she slashed, bit and tore at him. His blood stained the ground but he continued to fight for control over the beautiful monster before him, his love making him naïve and his mortal shell making him more vulnerable than he could imagine. The last scene showed the carnage that would ensue if the two lived as youkia and the carnage that would ensue as the fragile, human InuYasha fought to control his youkia wife. She would never win.

"No! I will not give in damnit, _**NEVER**_!" she screamed as she drove her fist through the glass. The sound of the breaking glass and her curses brought InuYasha into the room where he saw her leaning on the windowsill, blood dripping from her cut hand.

"Temperance! Jesus, what happened?" he asked as he ran up behind her. He stopped short as he felt her aura pulsate and change. It pushed him farther from her, but he shoved back with his own and soon he had his hand on her shoulder.

"Baby, what's happening?" he asked quietly as he heard her breathing grow deeper and heavier. As he stood there, she began to tremble under his hand and he reflexively squeezed her shoulder tighter and turned her around.

"Damnit, look at me! What's wrong, tell me!" he said as he looked at the trembling girl in his grasp. Her long black hung in front of her face and he realized that he didn't remember her re-dying it back to black or it every being this long. He ignored the trivial and tried to raise her head by the chin, but she grabbed his wrist tightly as he went for her face.

"Don't touch me," she growled lowly as she dug her talons into his wrist, drawing blood. He stared at her fingers which were now curved and lethally sharp. He was shocked and didn't know what to say or do. He just stood there, his bleeding wrist still in her grasp.

"You're...you're making me bleed," he finally said as he watched his blood slip off his punctured skin and fall to the hard wood floor under his feet. She quickly let go of his wrist and finally lifted her head. What he saw made him reflexively take a step back. Her once soft eyes were now a crimson red with ocean blue pupils and now adorning her forehead, right between her eyes, was a small tricolored triquetra.

She looked down at the blood on her hands and then up at the clearly shocked young man before her. She began to back away from him until she bumped into the windowsill; she grasped it tightly, her edged talons gouging deep holes into the dark wood.

"I…I'm sorry. I can't stay here anymore…I can't. I won't let it happen!" she said as she turned towards the window and jumped out of it, breaking the rest of the shattered glass out of the wooden frame. He ran towards the window, as if to catch her as she made her escape. He looked out into the now blinding whiteout, looking for any sign of her. He saw not a footprint or even a whiff of her usual sweet and lingering smell.

"_**Kagome**_!" he yelled, hoping for an answer. Only the wind answered, brushing his face with bitter cold flakes and quiet directions towards the one woman he vowed to never loose again. Now he stood alone with only shattered glass and the bitterness of the cold and unforgiving December winds as signs that she had once been there instead of the ghost than now lingered in his memory.


	8. Names Of Old

_**Author's Note: I do not own InuYasha or any related characters. I do however own this story, so read and enjoy Ch. 8!**_

_***Again, not much has changed, just a few things taken out and minor things added. I just did this to have everything flow together better later on and to also wipe away any discrepancies in the old story line.***_

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_**Names of Old**_

**Ch. 8**

"Shut-up Miroku, you're such a perv," Sym said as she pushed him away from her. The playful brown haired boy with eyes to match smiled at her as he regained his balance and leaned back against the tree next to her.

"Come now Sym, you know me. I can never control myself around pretty girls, especially when there as beautiful and enchanting as you," Miroku said as he looked at her, loosing himself in her deep hazel eyes. She too was absorbed in his equally deep eyes and felt herself drawn to him. As they moved closer to one another, the moment was ruined as she felt a hand on her rump. To make matters worse, the hand began to caress her and this made her blood boil. She pulled away from Miroku and landed a hand heavily on his cheek. The slap landed him on his back, staring up at an infuriated Sym.

"Please forgive me, but how can I not be lecherous when I am around such a goddess as yourself?" he said as he rubbed the spot where a fire red hand print was now forming on his face.

"Save it Miroku," Sym said as she went to turn around and walk away. Instead of storming off as she had originally planned, she instead turned and ran straight into the solid form of Inu-shu. She stepped back, a bit dazed and looked up at him, new and old anger mixing together.

"What the hell is your problem? Why are you just standing there like some sort of sad statue?" she hissed as she stared into his amber eyes. As she did, she saw that something was not right and it made her uneasy. She had only seen this look in his eyes once before, a long, long time ago. Miroku saw it to, for he stood up quickly and took a place by Sym's side.

"What's wrong old friend?" he said as he crossed his arms in front of him. His tight black t-shirt stretched across his broad chest and a blush formed on Sym's cheeks. But it quickly vanished as Inu-shu's solemn voice broke the silence between them.

"She's gone," he said quietly. The sadness, confusion, and loss were all too familiar to the two standing before him. Sym was a bit taken back by this show of emotion from the usually stoic and somewhat arrogant young man she had known for the vast majority of her life. It also hurt her a bit that he would have such strong feelings for a stranger when he was supposed to love only one; the one he had been through so much for. As she thought of it, anger replaced worry and she glared at him. Miroku could sense her anger and he tried to calm her by placing a hand on her shoulder. She just shrugged it off and her gaze burned harder into the man before her.

"How dare you even give me that, 'she's gone boo-hoo' act. What's your problem? Was she not enough for you that you've forgotten about her already?" Sym yelled, her anger getting the best of her, as usual. As quiet and reserved she may have seemed to the outside world, to those that knew her well, her anger was her defining point.

"Sym please…" Miroku said, trying to calm the fuming woman at his side. She just shot her fiery glare at him and he was quieted for he didn't want to provoke her wrath onto himself. He just backed up and shrugged at Inu-shu. The boy paid no mind however and continued to meet Sym's enraged glare.

"She was everything to you, right? So why now do you want to cast her and her memory aside for some new whore who sauntered in one day? I will not let you do this to her again, dead or not! I will not allow Temperance to be your new Kikyo!" Sym yelled, her hands balled into fists of rage. At the mention of the name Kikyo, Inu-shu's eyes reflected even more hurt, but also a deep seeded anger. He peeled his lips back into a snarl and in one quick and fluid motion, he grabbed Sym by both her arms and held her to his face. She could feel the heat of his breath and also how his entire being seemed to pulsate with anger and frustration. She stared into his gold eyes which were veined red as his anger began to flood him. This just made her madder and she struggled against him.

"Stop it Sym and listen to me," he growled as she struggled fiercely against him. He squeezed her tighter but this only caused her to struggle harder. Miroku looked on, helpless to do anything in the situation but to sit back and watch. He silently pleaded with Sym to just stop and listen, but he knew she would not. He just hoped Inu-shu didn't hurt her.

"Listen to me…_**Sango**_," Inu-shu said, just loud enough so that she could hear him. At the sound of the name she had not heard in many centuries, she stopped struggling and fell limp and silent in his arms. He set her down and looked into her wide and shocked eyes.

"InuYasha…why?" she stammered, confusion etching her voice. InuYasha just looked past her at Miroku.

"Come on monk, we have a lot to talk about," InuYasha said. Miroku just nodded and walked up to his old friend and patted his shoulder.

"It's nice to hear you haven't forgotten," he said as he walked towards the parking lot. InuYasha looked back towards Sango and his tawny eyes reflected back old times and memories. She lowered her head and furrowed her brows in complete frustration and then looked back up at him. Her deep brown eyes had many unanswered questions swimming in them.

"Come on Sango, I'll explain it all in due time," he said in response to her unspoken inquires. She just shook her head in defeat and followed behind the hanyuo.


	9. Tsuki and Taiyo

_**Author's Note: I do not own any InuYasha characters or InuYasha himself. I do however own this story, thank goodness. So, here's chapter 9, ENJOY!**_

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_**Tsuki and Taiyo**_

_**Ch. 9**_

"Kagome…really?" Sango said, even more confused now than she had been when InuYasha had said her true name for the first time in nearly 500 years.

"Are you sure it's really her?" Miroku said, but the glare he got from InuYasha was the only answer he needed. Miroku sat back against the couch and folded his arms. His shaggy brown hair fell across his eyes as he hung his head, deep in thought. InuYasha breathed a heavy sigh as he looked towards the broken window in his living room. Although it was covered in heavy duty plastic, a cold breeze swept through the room. Sango shivered and pulled her sweater tighter around her, trying to shield herself from the phantom draft. InuYasha looked back towards his two loyal and old friends and sat up straight, trying to remain strong.

"I've waited so long to see her again, and now this," Sango said as she collapsed against the back of the couch, shaking the meditating monk slightly. He didn't seem to notice though as his chest rose and fell slowly, as if he was in a deep sleep. Sango glanced over at him and knew that he was trying to remember all of his old teachings in order to try and add a bit of help to the situation.

"We've all waited Sango," InuYasha said as he stood and walked over to the covered window, peering out into the white landscape before him as he had done when Kagome had disappeared not to long before. Sango walked up to him and placed a delicate, reassuring hand on his shoulder. He looked over at her and the way his sandy colored eyes looked at her made her heart ache.

"We need to go talk to her mother," Miroku suddenly said. Both Sango and InuYasha turned towards him as he rose from the couch and turned towards them. His now violet eyes were alive and burning with forgotten knowledge and as she looked deep within them, she remembered how much she had loved to stare into their amethyst depths.

"Why?" Sango asked as she walked up to him. He put a hand on her cheek and traced the once hard features of her fair face. Time had eased the battle hardened features of the slayer, but Miroku could still see the fierce and formidable women that he had grown to love and cherish. She looked into his eyes and the uneasiness in her them faded.

"Because her mother isn't her mother," Miroku said as he dropped his hand from her face and walked to InuYasha. The hanyuo looked at him skeptically and the monk could see the old uneasy, and protective half-demon he had once grown so accustom too. He saw the question that was on the tip of the hanyuo's tongue and Miroku nodded in understanding.

"If Kagome has truly been changed, this means that the hibernating part of her was never human. Thus her mother is not truly her mother. If a demon heart is what Kagome truly posses, then her mother must surely know her true heritage. We must go to Mrs. Higurashi and have her tell us the truth. Kagome is depending on us," Miroku said, earning a nod from InuYasha. Sango walked up to join the two and she also nodded, her long black hair fluttering over her shoulders.

"Just like old times," she said as the three friends looked at each other and wondered what lied ahead.

* * *

She knew she should be cold because she could feel the wind against her skin and the snow beneath her feet, but no chill ran through her. She looked straight ahead into the white forest she had been wandering through for some time and watched as her breath puffed from her mouth and swirled in the cold air, dancing to an unknown tune. She raised a hand to it and ran her fingers through it, watching as it clung to her fingers like a white satin glove. She sighed heavily and dropped her hand, slicing through the mist she had formed. She continued to walk aimlessly, thinking about what she had done to him; how she was barely able to control herself and what she had become. She found a large felled tree that lay near a small stream and sat down on it. She looked up towards the tree tops and felt small flakes of white innocents land on her face and melt, making small streams of their own. She looked back down and at the small, unfrozen body of water at her bare feet. She bent down on her knees in the snow and looked into the moving stream hesitantly. She was afraid of what would be staring back at her from the uneven surface of the water, but she swallowed the lump of fear that had formed in her throat and bent over the clear water, placing her hands on its snowy banks. What she saw staring back at her made her breathe a well deserved sigh of relief. Her mossy green eyes met the same mossy eyes of her reflection and her pallid, smooth, unmarked skin rippled gently in the small waves of the water. She smiled and sat up on her knees, resting her slightly shaking hands on her thighs, and laughed at how scared she had been about her own reflection. She shook her head, shaking white snowflakes from her midnight black hair and looked back down into the water. This time her breath caught in her throat. Staring back up at her was a reflection she had never seen before. The strange face looking back up at her had long, flowing silver hair with silverly blue eyes that seemed to be burning with a cool flame and the triquetra that rested on her forehead, right between her those piercing eyes, was the same color of them. The strangers face had high cheekbones, thin pink lips, and skin the color of the snow that was falling around Kagome as she stared, dumbstruck, at the face in the water. In a panic Kagome splashed the water and watched as the reflection broke up, but didn't disappear or change. Kagome looked back down at it and as she did, she noticed that the hair hanging around her shoulders and brushing the waters surface was still its normal midnight black.

"Who are you…?" she asked absently. As the words left her lips, the rippling reflection cocked its head and smiled slightly up at her. Kagome let out a small squeak and fell flat on her butt. She scooted away, leaving a deep trek in the snow as she did, soaking the bottom of her jeans. It was only then that she noticed how cold it was outside and a large shiver came over her. But a loud giggle that emanated from the waters surface automatically shut out the cold once again.

"Come back here, I'm not going to hurt you," the water called to her. Although her mind was screaming at her to run, her body began to crawl back towards the water's surface, which had become unnaturally smooth.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked again, staring straight into the living reflections silvery blue eyes. The girl looking back at her smiled again, revealing perfectly white and pointed canine teeth.

"I'm you silly. Well, a different part of you per say," she said to Kagome. Kagome's brows knit together in confusion. How could this be she thought?

"How, every time I've ever changed, it's always been…," Kagome said, trailing off. She really didn't know what to call what she had been changing into. Another soft giggle interrupted her thought process and she looked down at herself once again.

"You mean it's always been her?" her other half said as she turned her silvery head to the right and yet another face had appeared, except this was one that Kagome was all to familiar with.

"Well hello, long time no sees huh?" said the red eyed, raven haired girl looking back at her now. She had the same high cheekbones as the silver haired one as well as the same triquetra, but the difference was that across her cheeks ran horizontal silvery blue stripes; the same color as the other girls eyes. Kagome's gaze hardened and began to fill with anger and distain as she looked down at the girl who had forced her to hurt InuYasha.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, you're the one who can't control yourself," the red eyed girl said, a small dissatisfied smirk on her face. A small fang poked out and over her bottom lip and Kagome saw that it was equally as white and pointed as the other girls.

"You hurt InuYasha," Kagome hissed at her, this caused the girl to growl in response. The silver haired girl cleared her non-existent throat loudly and both Kagome and the girl in the water's reflection turned towards her.

"If you're done arguing, then perhaps I can answer a question or two I know your human part has," the silver haired girl said, raising an equally silver eyebrow at Kagome. She just nodded to the girl who was looking up at her from the mirror like surface of the clear water before her.

"Good, now let me introduce who we were. This one next to me was once known as Tsuki, and I was known as Taiyo," she said, bowing her head slightly while Tsuki did the same. Kagome robotically bowed in return, but her head was spinning widely with questions.

"What do you mean by once known as?" Kagome asked softly as the single question broke the surface of her ocean of questions. She didn't know why she was being so quiet though. Perhaps it was that the shock of the discovery that her reflections could speak was slowly beginning to wear off.

"Well, that is a long story, so perhaps I will give you the short version. Me and Tsuki were once very powerful youkia sisters who were revered as goddesses. I was the goddesses of the sun, and Tsuki was the goddess of the moon. We kept the villages of Japan safe from other youkia and provided them with a type of paradise on earth. In this time, youkia and humans lived together in peace and for many centuries, nearing a millennia, the world we knew remained this way," Taiyo said, her voice filled with the emotion of happier times, but her eyes grew cold as she paused. Kagome turned towards Tsuki when it was apparent that Taiyo was not going to go on. Tsuki sighed and finished where Taiyo had left off.

"One day, about 5 centuries ago, that all changed. A powerful human came along and began to kill the youkia in Japan. Soon, the carnage began to move closer to the human populated areas and that is when the rumors began. This youkia hunter began to spread poisonous lies about youkia saying that we were only using them for their life forces and breeding purposes; that we were no good, were incarnations of evil, and tyrants that were holding them captive by giving them this paradise. He also said that if they ever strayed, we would eat them of all things!" Tsuki said, and Kagome could see the anger in her crimson eyes as her blue pupils began to shrink.

"Tsuki, will you be ok to continue?" Kagome said gently, causing the blue of her shrinking pupils to once again become completely visible. Tsuki looked at Kagome and she could see the look of thankfulness in the Alice Blue of her eyes.

"He turned them all against us and they hunted us down like prey animals, and killed our bodies. They could not kill our souls because we are immortal demons. Our souls wandered in a state of purgatory while the world we had created fell to chaos. We believed that we would never be able to be free from our hazy prison and restore order," Tsuki said before she was interrupted by Taiyo. They both turned towards her and Kagome could see that her silvery blue eyes were alive with a fire that burned fiercely with anger, recollection, and of gratitude.

"Until we found you."


	10. Lockets

_**Author's Note: I do not own InuYasha or any other InuYasha related characters. On a side note, the name I have for Kagome's mother I found online. If it's wrong or anything, let me known with the actual name and I'll change it. So here's Ch. 10, ENJOY!!!**_

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_**Lockets**_

_**Ch. 10**_

"Are you completely sure about this monk?" InuYasha said uneasily. It had been over 500 years since he had last been to Kagome's house and seen her family. He wondered if they remembered who he was; who they were.

"You have to remember, it's only been 3 years for them. I'm sure her mother will remember you. You're not really the easiest person to forget," Miroku said, turning his back to the agitated hanyuo. InuYasha just rolled his amber eyes, crossed his arms, and huffed. Sango, who was standing next to the hanyuo, just smiled.

"Just like old times," she said softly, but InuYasha heard. He lowered his head, his hair falling in front of his sandy eyes, but Sango could see the shadow pass in front of them before they were obscured.

"Not quite my love, not quite," Miroku said as he rang the shrine's doorbell.

* * *

"Me? What's so special about me?" Kagome asked Taiyo. The sun demonness smiled sadly before she inhaled deeply and sighed her phantom breath. She shook her head and looked over at her sister.

"Can't we tell her Taiyo?" Tsuki asked, clearly wanting to help Kagome in understanding what had happened to her. The moon goddesses' eyes were burning and Kagome noticed that they were no longer red, but instead were Alice Blue. Kagome was puzzled, but it wasn't her biggest worry right now.

"We cannot divulge to much my sister. You must remember that Kagome's memory is not complete. To tell her the whole truth would just break her. She needs to remember the majority of it on her own," Taiyo explained to Tsuki as if Kagome wasn't also there, watching and listening. This made her angry. How could they just float there and act as if she wasn't even there? After all, if it wasn't for her body, they wouldn't even be the water specters they were now.

"Hello?! I'm right here, remember?" Kagome said agitation and frustration brimming in her voice. The two sisters looked up at her from there watery mirror and bowed, again, apologetically.

"You two better tell me something!" she demanded, causing both demonesses to flinch slightly. Kagome was taken back at their reaction. Tsuki seemed to be able to tell what she was thinking and rolled her darkening blue eyes.

"We can read your mind Kagome, we are a part of you after all. And to answer your question before you ask it, we flinched because we can feel your emotion," Tsuki said, obviously unhappy. Taiyo nodded in agreement, her silver hair flashing as a ray of dying sun fell across the water, reflecting on the silver silk of her hair.

"Please, just tell me something. I can't keep going on like this; wandering aimlessly with no clue. You have to help me!" Kagome said, tears forming in her eyes. Taiyo sighed and looked over at Tsuki and nodded once in her sisters' direction. Tsuki smiled slightly, her eyes had gone back to their normal red and blue coloring and Kagome was glad for the time begin that she didn't have to ask another question of them.

"Listen to me very carefully Kagome. You were chosen because of your inner power. You are stronger than any mortal we had ever encountered before and you will remain so. When you entered our time, we sensed your incredible power, though it was still dormant. We followed you on your journeys, and as your power grew, it became almost impossible for us to leave you," Tsuki said. She looked up at the girl she know shared a body with and saw great confusion in her green eyes.

"What do you mean journeys, or your time? Please, you must tell me more," Kagome begged the phantom faces. Both youkia looked equally sad, but bound. Kagome knew they weren't going to tell her more.

"I'm sorry Kagome, but that is all we can tell you. You have to remember more before we can truly tell you what the situation is. Go to your home now, he is waiting for you," Taiyo said. Kagome was taken back. She sat up abruptly and shook her head vigorously.

"I won't go back to him, I won't hurt him again," she said, tears threatening to drown out her words. She turned her back on them and wiped away the tears that had fallen from her clear, green eyes. It was then that she felt a cold wind whip around her, blowing her hair violently around her face. It nearly blew her over, but instead she fell onto her hands and turned around on all fours. Behind her was a snowy figure with silvery snowflake hair and rippling features. Kagome's breath caught in her throat as the figure held out a hand to her. She took in hesitantly and it lifted her to her feet as if she weighed nothing.

"You must go to him. Only then will you remember. We will come again when you remember. Until then, we will watch and make sure nothing befalls you," Taiyo said as she began to blow away. Kagome reached out to her, but her hand passed through the snowy apparition with ease.

"Wait, how do I know I won't hurt him again?" Kagome called to the wind. A soft breeze brushed against her face and she heard Tsuki's voice.

"We won't bother you until the time comes. Now go," and with that, another strong breeze came ripping through the trees, bending them with a loud groan. It hit her back and nearly lifted her off her feet. it continued to push against her until she began to walk and then finally run towards the edge of the forest; towards InuYasha.

* * *

"InuYasha! Oh, you are a welcome sight for such sore eyes my dear!" Mrs. Higurashi said as she wrapped him in a deep hug. He unfolded his arms and hugged her back, happy to know that at least someone recognized him after all these years.

"Who have you brought with you?" she said, adjusting her glasses so that she could get a better view of Sango and Miroku. Sango blushed as Kagome's mother looked her over, and then did the same to Miroku. Before InuYasha could answer her, Mrs. Higurashi broke out into a large smile and hugged both Miroku and Sango.

"Sango, Miroku, it's so very nice to very meet you after all these years!" she said, clasping her hands together in front her. Both Sango and Miroku looked at each other and exchanged equally confused glances.

"How did you know it was us?" Miroku asked, scratching his head in the cliché, confused gesture. Mrs. Higurashi laughed wholeheartedly and from around her neck she took off a gold locket shaped like a heart. She handed it to Sango and motioned for her to open it. Sango held it in her hand for a moment before she opened it gingerly. Inside, on one side of the locket, was a picture of the entire gang: InuYasha, herself, Miroku, Shippo, Meoga, and Kirara. The other half of the locket held a small picture of InuYasha. Sango felt tears prick her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. Now was not the time to let trivial emotions get in the way. There would be time fore tears later. Miroku put an arm around her shoulders as she handed the locket back to Kagome's mother.

"Mrs. Higurashi, we're here…" but Miroku was interrupted as she giggled softly and shook her head.

"I know why you're here. There is not much I can really tell you because I'm not really sure myself though. I can only tell you what I was told and what happened after we moved to Florida. Oh, and please, all of you, call me Kun-Loon," she said as she opened the door as wide as it could go and motioned for them to come in. Miroku's mouth was till open, and Sango closed it for him. Miroku shrugged as he walked into the house, followed by Sango, but InuYasha stayed were he was.

"InuYasha dear, are you coming?" Kun-Loon asked gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned towards her and gave her a half-hearted smile.

"Yeah, I'll be right in," he said, trying to not let her know what was wrong. He could see that she knew though. She always knows what was bothering him, just like Kagome.

"Just close the door behind you when you come in," she said as she disappeared into the house. He nodded to her, but it went unnoticed as she was already gone and he was staring down at a small gold trinket in his hand. After Kun-Loon had taken off the locket Kagome had always worn, he had instinctively reached into his pocket and drew out an identical gold, heart shaped locket. He opened it and inside was a single picture of the raven haired, green eyes girl who had helped him heal and stolen his heart.

"Come back to me Kagome," he said as he placed the locket around his neck, tucked it beneath his shirt, and walked into the warmth of the house and into the company of a woman he had grown to know and adore as he had his own mother.


	11. Naraku

**_Author's Note: [I do not own InuYasha or any of Rumko Takahashi's characters.] Sorry bout the wait everyone. School got in the way for a little while, but i'm good now. I hope to be able to add a chapter or two a week so I can get the story line really moving. But, here's Chapter 11. ENJOY!!!_**

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**_Naraku_**

**Ch. 11**

"Mrs. Hig…I mean, Kun-Loon. Um, please tell us; are you Kagome's real mother?" Miroku said. The trio had been in the Higurashi home for over 2 hours and Miroku had decided to finally just ask her what they had all come to find out. She looked him a bit confused at first, and then realization lit up her dark eyes. She smiled her wide smile, and shook her head.

"Yes Miroku, I am Kagome's real mother and yes, both her father and I are human," she said in response to both his asked question and the question that was on the tip of his tongue after she answered yes to being Kagome's true mother. But InuYasha could see beyond all of the smiles and laughs to what lie behind it. A pain had taken hold of her and it hurt him to see her hide it when she could have shown them. She was much to prideful;

"Then please, tell us what is going on," Sango pleaded. Kun-Loon sighed deeply, stood up, and began gathering all the tea cups onto a gold tray. She stood back up, avoided eye contact with all of them, and walked into the kitchen.

"I'm going to talk to her. We must know the truth!" Miroku said as he rose from the couch and made his way to the kitchen's swinging door. He was stopped by a tight grip on his shoulder and the feel of claws digging into his flesh. He turned around and InuYasha was standing behind him, his hidden by a shadow that had passed over his face as he blocked out the lamp light.

"Don't monk. She's been through enough. I'll talk to her. You stay here and don't move or touch anything. If Kagome shows up, put your Kakusu Seishin charms back on, it's not time for her to know yet," InuYasha said, looking at the true faces of his friends. Sango nodded, her long black her falling across her shoulders. He saw how her once muscular shoulders were sagging under the weight of their current situation. Miroku wrapped his love in his arms and hugged her against him. Her head rested on his shoulder for she was a good 3 inches shorter than him without their charms on. He placed his head into her hair and breathe din her true scent, something he missed dearly. He would smell in once every great while when they were together and alone, but those times were far and in between. InuYasha watched the two and his heart felt a knife of hot jealousy slice through it. He became angry at them for being able to love and truly know each other. He had had that once, but know he was fighting for it again. He turned his back on them and shook his head. It wasn't their fault, it was Naraku's.

"Bastard," InuYasha growled. His fists were balled into tight fists, and his claws were digging into his palms, drawing his own blood. His head was down, allowing his thick white mane to fall across his face, shadowing it further. His nostrils flared as anger seared his veins and stung his heart. A hand on his shoulder violently threw him back to reality as he lifted his head and turned it to face Sango. The look on her face showed she knew what was wrong and the gentleness with which she had brought him back showed she felt the same anger and understood. He turned his eyes away and she withdrew her hand. She moved closer to him and hugged him tight. He was taken aback by the sudden kind gesture and remained frozen in her grasp.

"Be her hero again InuYasha. Don't let the past dictate what know will become. Go, find out what you can and help her; help us," Sango whispered to him. He relaxed under her and hugged her back equally as tight as she had him. She released him and as she looked into his light, gold orbs, she saw the old, strong InuYasha who had protected them all so many years ago. She smiled at him and he just snorted and walked into the kitchen after Kun-Loon, but she swore she saw caught a glimpse of a faint smile on his lips as he disappeared behind the barely swinging door.

* * *

She had been running for quite some time now and she knew she should be tired. No normal human being could run for the duration she had been and at the speed she was. She found herself soaring through tree tops and she soon stopped atop a large oak where she was nestled safely in its thick branches. She crouched there, wondering what was happening and why her. She sat down and rested her back against the trees thick and solid trunk and felt the roughness of it through her yellow cashmere sweater. She closed her eyes and felt herself drifting off to sleep as the soft December breeze cooled her hot skin. She felt soft flakes melt against her skin as they landed on her and she smiled and thought of how peaceful she felt when she was went on walks through the thick forest. She wondered why she felt such peace when she was here, but she soon thought no more as she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Where am I," she said as she awoke to find herself in the same tree, though her surroundings had changed. Her tree had found itself in a thicker forest, surrounded by equally large and luscious green trees. A warm breeze brought the smell of spring and of sakura, botan, and ayame and her heart skipped a beat as she realized she was home; back in Japan. Her heart soared at the thought her old home and of her younger brother and her grandfather who were still over seas. At the thought of her lost family and spurred by the knowledge that she was home again, she jumped from the tall tree top and landed gracefully on her feet. She looked down and noticed that she was wearing brown loafers and tall, thigh high socks. She also noted she was wearing a short, forest green skirt and that's when it hit her; her old high school uniform!

"How odd," she thought, but she paid no mind and began to follow a well worn path in the ground that lead deep into the darkening forest. She felt no fear though, but instead she felt her heart begin to beat faster as she grew anxious. She knew she was anxious to see someone, and that's why she sped up her pace; but who? She heard laughter as she wandered deeper into the forest and soon she saw the glow of a camp fire. The laughter grew louder and she could have sworn she heard InuYasha swear loudly at someone, and she felt herself smile. She raised her fingers and traced the smile on her face and thought how odd it was that she was smiling at such rudimentary behavior. She shook her head and continued to walk towards the glow of the fire. She finally reached the clearing, but found nothing. Still the voices and laughter filled her ears and fear filled her heart as a strong cold breeze tore through the camp site, silencing the voices and killing the fire. Darkness beyond anything she had ever experienced before fell across the once bright world around her and she found herself feeling more alone than she had ever felt before. As she turned in a small circle, trying to grasp a visual hold on anything, her eyes fell upon a pair of red orbs looking at her from the other side of the camp. The eyes seemed to be smiling at her and her heart seemed to stop as part of her recognized who the eyes belonged to. It could not reach the rest of her though and she remained fixated on the crimson globes. She blinked once and when she opened her eyes a split second later, the blood filled orbs were right in front of her. She nearly screamed, but it stuck in her throat as a slim ray of moon light fell across her face and illuminated the face to whom the eyes were set in.

What she saw was a pale faced, raven haired man whom part of her recognized and screamed at her to run and find InuYasha. She remained set though, unsure of who he was and why she was so terrified of him. He smelt of death and the aura he emanated was not his own, but a combination of many. He moved his head closer to her and breathed her in, letting out a pleasure filled sigh as his lungs could hold no more air. He moved away and his eyes narrowed as he looked at her; into her. She felt him studying her soul and she pushed him away with her aura. He staggered back a bit and out of the patch of moon light in which she still stood. She heard him growl and his vermillion eyes narrowed in anger, but she was much to shocked at what she had just done to notice him much. How had she been able to gather, transfer, and direct her aura like that? Her thoughts were interrupted by a cold, clammy, clawed hand on her throat. She felt herself being lifted off her feet as the man grabbed her and pulled her up. She instinctively grabbed his wrist and tried to pry him off of her, but this just caused him to laugh.

"Still such a weakling, but still alive, as am I. You and your foolish friends should have known that you could never escape me," he growled, pulling her face closer to his. His breath smelled of rotting flesh and it was cold, as if his inside were nothing but dry ice. She felt herself growing faint, but she was determined to know who he was, going against the part of her that called to her to just stop fighting and to forget. She would not forget, not anymore.

"Who are you?" she couched out. He cocked his head a bit, his stringy black hair falling into the darkness that still surrounded them. His carmine eyes narrowed again and he pulled his face back and a malicious smile spread across his bone white face.

"Why my dear Kagome, don't you remember? I am…"

* * *

"Naraku!" Kagome cried out. The name echoed off of the empty, snow filled trees and reached her ears again. At the sound her voice yelling out the name, she jumped out of the tree top and continued racing back towards her home. She had to get to InuYasha, she didn't know why or how he would help, but she knew she had to get to him. She had to tell him; she had to tell him that Naraku was back.


	12. Watchful Eyes

_**Author's Note: I do not own InuYasha or any related, copyrighted characters as such. I do however own this storyline and any original characters protrayed in it. Also, I'm going to be introducing some 'new' characters in the next two chapters. I've already semi-introduced one in this chapter. See if you can guess who, lol. This is Chapter 12, ENJOY!**_

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_**Watchful Eyes**_

_**Ch. 12**_

"Kun-Loon," InuYasha called as he walked into the kitchen. He saw that the tray and cups had been set down on the kitchen table, and the water in the sink had been turned on and was letting out a healthy stream of steaming hot water, but Kun-Loon was nowhere to be found. He touched the tray as he walked by the table and felt s sadness flow through his finger tips and rest on his heart. He lifted his fingertips from it and went over to the sink, turning off the water. The metal under the pads of his fingers was hot from both the steam and the water itself. He lifted his head and tried to listen for any sound of her, but he heard nothing. He squeezed the metal handle and felt it begin to reform beneath the pressure of his grip. He cursed himself for letting this go on for so long, for letting all this pain linger through the decades. The sound of breaking metal and a cold, soft breeze against his flushed face made reality take hold again. He released the crumbling faucet handle and turned towards the kitchen's back door. It was open and bounced slight against its frame as another breeze blew it open ever so slightly. As the breeze blew in, he could not only smell the salt in the air from Kun-Loon's tears, but also taste it. It made him sick to his stomach, something that rarely happened.

"Kun-Loon," he said again. His voice was carried on the delicate December wind that swirled the snow that was falling around him. He could smell her tears, but the wind obscured the direction in which he could find the woman. He closed his eyes and listened for any sound from her. Concentrating all his energy into his already sensitive hearing, he could hear Sango and Miroku talking about what was to come and then he heard it; a sharp, yet faint, intake of breath. He opened his eyes and made his way to the houses' rear guest quarters. He went to the only door and once again listened for her. Again he heard the breathing, but now that he was closer he could tell that she was not only crying, but sobbing. He had never seen or heard her cry, let alone sob. She was strong like Kagome; yes, he had seen Kagome cry many times before, mostly because of him, but not once had she ever sobbed. He felt a cold feeling seize his being. It was a mixture of anger, hate, pain, pity, sympathy, and sadness. He hated it more than he hated the cause of all of this. He could not dwell on that now, he thought, for he had more important things to do now.

He grasped the cold metal doorknob and tried it; locked. He sighed and pulled on the knob, yanking it from its bearings. The door opened, but just a crack and from that sliver, warm light pooled around him. He knew she was there, but she was trying her hardest to keep him away. She would not suffer alone though, he would not allow it. He easily cut away the chain that bound the door and it finished its swing open. He stepped through the opening and closed the door behind him, fitting it tightly into its jam so that neither the wind nor anybody happening by could get in.

"Kun-Loon," he called yet again, but this time he knew she heard him for the sounds of her sobbing ceased almost immediately. He knew she did not want him to see her, not now and not like this. He would not let her hide from him. She was all he had left of Kagome right know and he would not let her go as easily. The light went out after the sounds stopped and the room was cast into darkness. His eyes immediately adjusted to the sudden darkness and he sighed heavily at her attempts to divert him. He wasn't sure of what to say or do to get her to come to him, or let him come to her. Then he knew.

"Kun-Loon…_mother_," he said softly. He heard shifting, then silence. At last the light came on again and he saw her standing in front of him. He saw that her eyes were red and heard that her breathing was still heavy and somewhat shallow. He walked to her and embraced the woman before him. She felt brittle and breakable under him and he was careful not to squeeze her as hard as he was used to. He felt her wrap her thin arms around him and squeeze him as tight and hard as she could and then she began to cry again. He did not stop her, for he knew that she had been holding it in longer than she had needed too. To be strong meant sacrifice and she had sacrificed much.

"Be still mother, I need you to compose yourself so that you can help me help Kagome," he whispered to her. He felt her take in a deep breath and then let it out, breathing her warm, semi-sweet breath onto his chest. She pulled away and looked up at him; the candle light was reflected in her warm brown eyes as she looked into his amber ones, which seemed to be glowing as the flickering light was mirrored in them.

"Tell me what happened," he said as she straightened up and once again became the strong woman he was so used to. She turned her back to him and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her burgundy sweater closer to her body. He waited for her to speak, and after a few moments he went to place a hand on her shoulder, but she instead turned back to him, her eyes burning with anger and confusion.

"I didn't know what else to do. They said they knew how to help her, what was wrong. They lied InuYasha; all lies," she hissed, her voice full of hateful venom. Her eyes had turned downcast and he knew she was remembering what had happened the year Kagome had "died." He needed to know more.

"Who, Kun-Loon, who lied to you? Who did this to Kagome?" he said, his voice edging with urgency and building anger. She looked up at him, recognition smoldering in her darkening eyes.

"They said they were youkia worshippers; that they knew of an ancient power that could save her," she said, her eyes narrowing in anger. InuYasha leaned in as she turned her back to him. The candle was beginning to dim and the light in the room was dancing wildly across the walls, throwing crude and feral shadows against the walls and across their faces. As a breeze from the broken door found its way in, blowing out the dying candle and casting the room once again into darkness, Kun-Loons' voice was heard.

"They called themselves, _Hikari to Kage_."

* * *

She burst from the dense tree lining and onto the path she had followed into the hibernating forest. She was close, she could sense his aura and smell his scent; spring momo. She let it fill her lungs and now she understood why he had always loved her smell and how it seemed to intoxicate him. She breathed out, admiring how her breath created a small cloud in front of her. Instead of dissipating though, the cloud remained where she had breathed it to life. It floated there in front of her and she cocked her head slightly. No other breath she had released had done this, what made this one so special. She moved closer to it and then she knew; the cloud smelled of momo. The small puff of warm air was a mixture of her air and InuYasha's scent that had become a physical entity when she breathed in. She narrowed her clear blue eyes at it and then she heard Tsuki's voice in her head.

"Follow it to him," she said, and at that moment, the little cloud took off with surprising speed to the right. She watched it speed down the street, before she smiled, revealing a small pointed fang, and took off after it.

"I thought you said you weren't going to bother me until it 'was time,' " Kagome said. She was running full speed and had finally caught up with her little guide, yet she was not tired or out of breath. She heard Tsuki's laugh sound in her head and it made Kagome smile.

"Well, I didn't think you'd mind a little hint. You're going to have to get used to all of the new things you can do now that we're here. But I'm sure you won't mind considering you haven't complained yet," Tsuki said, referring to the demonic speed Kagome now had. Kagome laughed aloud and shook her head, causing her raven hair to lash against her face. She loved the feeling of freedom she had, but it also scared her because she didn't know if she was crazy, a freak, or something different altogether. At the thought, she stopped abruptly, as did her misty little guide.

"What will he think of me? I mean, what _DOES_ he think of me, especially after what he saw and what I did?" Kagome said her voice barely above a whisper. Her cloud came to her and she felt it brush against her face, once again filling her nostrils and clouding her mind with his scent. She brushed it away gently, but instead of breaking up, it clung to her fingers and would not let go. His scent not only lingered in her nostrils, but also weighed heavily on her mind as she thought of him. Her thoughts were distracted as she watched the silver little cloud form a fingerless glove around her hand and then solidify, leaving her with a thin, silver glove. She touched it and her fingertips seemed to dip into a cold, silver pool as they disappeared into it. She removed her fingertips from the pool and watched as ripples formed on the smooth surface of the glove. She flexed her thin fingers and the surface stretched, flexed, and once again became a virgin smooth surface. She turned her hand over and nothing seemed out of the ordinary about it, except for its non reflective surface. It had a very opaque surface despites it cold glow and shiny appearance.

"Show me InuYasha," she said, not sure as to why she had just asked her hand to show her the man she was searching for. To her mild surprise, the gloves surface rippled again and soon colors and small forms began to form on the silver, flat surface of her palm. At first she didn't recognize anyone standing in her living room; there was a tall man with semi-short, thick brown hair and intriguing violet eyes sitting on her couch with a slightly shorter woman with long black hair and dark chocolate eyes. They were holding each other tightly and both looked equally upset for she could see it in there eyes and tense bodies. To her actual surprise, she heard the man say the woman's name, Sango, and then she heard a name she was very familiar with; Miroku. She wanted to question why these strange people were in her house and why one of them had the same name as one of her good friends, but the scene melted together and changed settings. She recognized the furniture of the guest house that was behind the main house and she immediately recognized the woman who was standing in the center of the room. She saw that her mother's eyes were red and Kagome immediately threw the fault for her mother's tears and sadness on the man who was standing behind her. His features were obscured by the dying candle light, but the flames flared violently as it received a breath of air and what she saw she didn't- _**couldn't**_ - believe. Standing behind her mother was a man with such familiar golden eyes and white hair that it made her gasp. His features were hard, yet they were softened by the obvious smoothness of his skin; his snow white dog ears twitched as he heard the movement of the wind through the room and his down turned mouth was stretched, revealing a single pointed fang. Kagome knew him, but didn't want to believe it. How could he of all people be the one thing that she had only recently discovered and slowly despised? She drew her hand into a tight fist and the image on her palm was immediately disrupted and obscured.

It had to be a lie; an illusion of some sort. There was no way InuYasha could be a youkia, she would have known; sensed it. If he was though then her mother was in trouble. Friend or not, a youkia was a youkia and could not be trusted.

"I take great offense to that thought!" Taiyo said from somewhere inside Kagome's head. Kagome huffed and suddenly felt a pain shoot through her head. She grabbed her throbbing skull and growled.

"What the fuck was that for?" Kagome hissed out loud. She heard Tsuki giggle and Taiyo huff. Kagome felt her eye start twitching as anger began to seep into her blood.

"Youkia are not all bad, Kagome. If we were, we would have just stolen your body and kicked out your soul instead of sharing. We'll discuss this later, right now you have to go and tell him," Taiyo said before everything fell silent. She rolled her eyes at the wind and continued on her way.

From behind her, the street lamps illuminated a set of golden eyes, similar to those of InuYasha, that were perched in a high tree on the opposite block. The eyes followed her for quite some time after she had disappeared from normal view. When they could no longer see her, the eyes withdrew from the light and disappeared into the night blackness.


	13. This Sesshomaru

Author's Note: Sorry about the wait, but its the holiday season and its been hectic. If I don't get out another chapter until after New Years I apologize. I will be very busy and am planning a trip to Sacramento the week of New Years so bere with me ok? I promise to get out another one or two before X-Mas. K? So, until then enjoy Chapter 13!!!

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**_This Sesshomaru_**

**Ch. 13**

"The Hikari to Kage…" Miroku said as he paced up and down the living room. Kun-Loon sat on the loveseat across from the pacing monk and InuYasha stood protectively behind her as he watched him pace. Sango had gone into the kitchen to prepare some more tea and could hear Miroku's grumbling and pacing from behind the closed door. She sighed and placed the four cups on the tray Kun-Loon had brought in earlier.

"Come on monk, it hasn't been that long. You should remember something," InuYasha said as he crossed his arms and faced the window. He was impatiently awaiting Kagome's arrival. He knew she was coming because every once and awhile he would get a faint wisp of her scent which would send his heart thundering nearly out of his chest. For the first time in over 500 years, InuYasha was genuinely nervous.

"I do remember the old stories, but I thought they could be just myths," Miroku said as he finally stopped pacing and stood facing both Kun-Loon and InuYasha. His face was twisted in an unreadable expression and as Sango walked in with the tray of steaming tea, his face was almost a mask of furrowed brows, downturned mouth, and pursed lips, all a shade of light red. Sango set down the tray and walked over to him, laying a hand on his hunched figure. He turned towards her and his flustered features soothed as she placed a kiss on his cheek. As InuYasha watched this display of affection, his heart once again wrenched within his chest and anger flared red in front of his eyes. He gritted his teeth and shook off the feeling of impairing jealousy. He would soon have his porcelain doll once again, he just had to have patience; something he did not really posses.

"God damnit monk, just say whatever you know would ya'. We don't have time for your feelings," InuYasha growled. His already paper thin patience was now being punctured by frustration and annoyance and tears were forming. Kun-Loon could sense his growing agitation and reached behind her to place a cool, calm hand on his. She wrapped his hand in hers and she felt the tension in it as he gripped her hand tightly. She didn't flinch as her fingers turned white from his pressure, but instead only smiled, knowing that she was in some way channeling his anger. She looked at the monk and her eyes told him to begin speaking soon or he would loose a part of his body or conciseness if he didn't. He nodded slightly and took in a deep breath as he sorted through his jumbled thoughts.

"For starters, the Hikari to Kage, or Sunshine to Shadows followers are youkia and humans alike who are still loyal to ancient youkia sisters who were revered as goddesses. There was Taiyo, the goddess of the sun and her sister, Tsuki, goddess of the moon. These two powerful sisters created a type of utopia for the people of feudal Japan and for almost two centuries, the people of the land were loyal to them, though the sisters did not ask much, of anything from the people they protected. Then one day, a man came and turned the people of Japan against their protectors. The stories say that the man had them hunted down and killed; their bodies burned and then sealed in small jars and thrown into the sea to prevent them from ever being resurrected. The Hikari to Kage believe that the sisters still live in a type of spirit form and wander Japan, watching the Utopia they had created fall to chaos and evil before them. But there was little known about the sisters and what they were capable of. So what the Hikari to Kage would want with Kagome is beyond me," Miroku said, crossing his arms in perplexion. Kun-Loon sighed and stood up, sadness weighing heavily on her weary face. InuYasha went for her, but she turned her head and looked at him, stopping him where he stood.

"They said that they knew of an ancient 'cure' for what ailed her. We were so desperate that we believed them. There were two youkia and a human woman who came to our Florida beach house and told us that they knew of Kagome's condition and of her connections with you; and of a ritual that they could perform to help her. I explained to them about her memory loss, and they promised to keep their identities a secret. We went to the temple they had chosen and I was told to stay behind as Kagome was led away into a large, empty room save a circle of candles in the middle of the large wood floor. They closed the doors behind her, but I could still see her eyes; a soft, almost silvery color filled with fear. I knew then that I had made a mistake, but it was too late. When she came out of that room, she was different. We were led out and told that they would be watching us. I was scared so I tried to get away, but how could I save her from herself?" she said as she grabbed an old picture of Kagome in her high school uniform. Tears fell from her eyes and landed on the glass. She dropped the picture and it landed on the carpet with a soft THUD, and then Kun-Loon went down with it. InuYasha moved faster than he had in many years, catching her before she hit the ground, she curled up in his arms and he picked her up and carried her up the stairs to her room.

Miroku and Sango watched as he walked up the dark staircase with the crumbling woman in his arms and they could all feel her overwhelming guilt and anguish at the seeming loss of her daughter and their friend. Before he reached the top of the stairs and disappeared from their site he turned towards them, his sandy eyes glowing in the dark of the night dyed staircase.

"Put on your Kakusu Seishin, she's here."

* * *

She had finally made it to her home. She had run as fast as she could through the now nearly blinding snowstorm so that she could save her mother from the intruders she had seen. Stopping in front of the house, she turned around abruptly and came face to face with a tall man whose burning gold eyes reminded her of her love; her InuYasha. He was different though; his eyes were nearly obscured by soft, white hair with silvery white streaks that fell across his face and blew out freely to the side, showing the amazing length to it. His face was long and strong, not hard and angry like InuYasha's sometimes looked, but there was something more interesting on his face than his golden eyes and strong features. Across each cheek ran identical purple streaks; two on each cheek that ran from the sides of his face to just under the corners of his eyes. The purple marks stood out starkly against his pallid skin and his thin, pinkish lips were pulled tight into an expressionless smirk. She stared up at him and a memory hit her like a speeding car. She jerked violently as his face flashed in front of her eyes and a name hit her ears like a cymbal being smashed against her ear drums. She looked back up at him, tears brimming in her sparkling green eyes. He saw this and his eyes looked away from her slack face and towards the front door; he could hear InuYasha bark orders to the other two and he knew that they knew she was here. He turned back towards her and placed a clawed hand on her chin, lifting her head higher so that she was now looking directly into his seemingly dead, yet intensely burning tawny eyes. They searched her eyes and she could feel the brush of his claws against her skin and the heat they expelled against her.

"Do you know me," he said, his voice low and flat, almost lifeless. Yet behind the dead tone laid a sense of urgency and impatience. She nodded slowly, his hand still gripping her chin.

"Do you know what I am," he said, his voice still holding its original tone. She nodded again, her heart fluttering wildly inside her chest. It wasn't fear or attraction, but instead it was a sense of knowing that caused her to be so jittery but relaxed in his demanding presence.

"Then who is this?" he asked, his hand gripping her face tighter. She could feel his claws now digging into her soft cheeks and she reached up and grabbed his wrist, squeezing him equally as tight. His eyes flashed surprise for no more than a split second before they were once again just lamps in the snowy night.

"You are Sesshomaru, Great Taiyouki Lord of the Western Lands…half-brother of…" she stopped for she did not remember, but knew that she should; that it was someone she once knew, someone very important to her. Sesshomaru let her go and walked by her towards the front door. She turned towards him and stood there, both shock and mild confusion sealing her to that spot.

"Where are you going?" she called to him, her voice carrying easily on the wind. He turned towards her and his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"We have much to discuss and this Sesshomaru does not have time to waste on trivial questions. Now come," he commanded, his low voice ungluing her from her spot at the front of the houses walkway. She walked towards him, her light footsteps leaving neither a trace nor a footprint in the deepening snow. She stopped at his side and he looked at her, obviously waiting for her to open the door. She looked at him and then began to fish through her pockets, trying to locate her keys. She looked back up at him and shrugged, which just managed to annoy the seemingly calm demon lord even more. He picked her up and jumped from the front door onto the overhanging roof. He ran faster than she could have ever imagined and before she realized it, they were at her back door. She looked at the mysterious youkia standing behind her and for the first time, she noticed how tall and slim he was. A quick overview showed that he was at least 6'8 and his thin figure only highlighted his built physique. The black shirt and pant suit he wore stood out starkly in the white night and against his equally white skin. She looked away from him as he eyed her stare and crossed his arms in impatience. She shook her head and turned the back doorknob hopefully; it was open. She sighed in relief and walked into the warm and well lit kitchen; she smelled the sweet scents of green and black tea, croissants and then momo. He was here. She closed her eyes and hugged herself, warming her slightly chilled body in the light and warmth of these familiar and welcome surroundings only to be jerked out of her happy place by the barely audible sound of the door closing behind Sesshomaru. He walked up to her side and, without looking at her, spoke.

"They are expecting you."


	14. Truths

_**Author's Note: Sorry it took so lon for me to update, but I've been working on this chapter for a few days now and its been so busy that it took time to write. But here it is now and the story line is really starting to progress nicely if you ask me. LOL, egotistical ol' me. Here's Ch. 14, ENJOY!**_

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**T****ruths**

**Ch. 14**

He could smell her and he knew that she was inside the house, but as he went to find her he was stopped by an all too familiar scent.

"Sesshomaru," he growled as he stopped in his tracks and issued a low growl that would be the only thing to betray his human disguise. A hand on his shoulder made him turn to face his friends. They could see the anger swelling in his eyes, but their eyes spoke to him the rewards of calm and the calamity that spontaneous and uncontrolled anger would bring. He sighed heavily and huffed, crossing his arms as he silently began to pace the expanse of the rather large living room waiting for her to enter.

"Why is he here?" Sango asked herself aloud. InuYasha huffed and snorted his anger and impatience getting the better of him again. Miroku sighed heavily as he leaned against the wall of the stairs and crossed his arms. He watched the kitchen door for movement and tried to calm his rapidly escalating heartbeat. He didn't want to admit it, but he was just as impatient and anxious as he knew InuYasha was. Looking over at the beautiful woman who was his, he studied her, trying to ease himself. She was standing nearest to the door with her arms folded tightly against her in an embrace that showed her uneasiness. Her sweater was a silky blue color and was low cut with tight long sleeves. The tightness of her sweater made her supple breasts seem larger and this made her waist seem slimmer and extremely appealing. His gaze wandered down to her waist then down her well toned, long legs that were clad in a pair of dark blue, straight legged jeans. He realized how much he wanted to have those legs entwined with his and then his gaze drifted back up to her nice sized and fully rounded ass. He remembered how he used to steal a feel or two whenever he could back in the day and how he had always looked forward to it smooth, round feel, even though he knew what would happen when she realized he had his hand on her. He smiled to himself as he felt himself becoming aroused. Even at a time like this his libido never failed. He sensed someone staring at him and he refocused his gaze and saw that Sango wasn't just staring at him, but glaring. He knew she knew that knew he was fantasizing and her gaze told him that if he ever wanted he to talk to him again, or even lay him anytime in the near or distant future, then it would be wise for him to stop undressing her with his eyes. He cleared his throat and looked away, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Sango rolled her eyes, but smiled inwardly; he always had some way of making her feel more at ease, even if it was just being his perverted old self.

"Sshh," InuYasha commanded to his already silent partners. Both Sango and Miroku held their breath and tried to steady their rapid heartbeats so that the hanyuo's already sensitive hearing could focus even more. He cocked his head and concentrated on the subtle sounds coming from the kitchen. He heard a contented sigh that he knew had come from Kagome and then he heard a familiar but unwelcome voice clearly address her; Sesshomaru. Although his estranged half-brother had not fulfilled his promise of killing him and he had not heard a word or news of him since the defeat of Naraku almost 500 years earlier, InuYasha still did not trust his brother and the knowledge that he was with Kagome struck a cord of both anger and surprisingly, curiosity. InuYasha ushered a low growl that seemed louder than normal in the large, nearly empty room and would have seem odd and unnatural to any innocent bystander coming from the "human" InuYasha. The hanyuo clenched his fist and felt his nails bite into his palms as he suppressed an urge to charge into the kitchen and save the woman he had waited so long for from the clutches of the once great Taiyouki lord.

* * *

"What was that?" Kagome asked as she paused, her hand posed in mid air. It hung there and the usually hard fluorescent kitchen lights seemed softer as its rays reflected off of the fingerless liquid silver glove she wore. The reflected light washed over her face and made it seem as if she carried around her own source of moonlight. Sesshomaru remained stoic and silent behind her, his gaze never straying from her face which had become squeezed together as she focused on whatever minuscule sound she had heard from behind the kitchen door. She knew that someone's or something's were waiting for her behind the door and although she was not scared of what she would encounter, she was instead scared at who it would be and what they had come for. A throat cleared from behind her refocused her attention on the growing impatience of Sesshomaru. His face had not changed from its original expressionless façade, but there was something in the deep yellow of his eyes that told her that time was wasting; time that they didn't have. She turned her gaze from him and with a deep breath, pushed open the kitchen door.

* * *

Everyone held there breath as the kitchen door swung open and out stepped a very cautious looking Kagome. Her skin was a milky white and her eyes were a mix of silver and blue, with hints of brown drizzled over the lighter shades. But they were shadowed in doubt and suspicion as she emerged from behind the dully painted white kitchen door and took her first glimpses at the people whom had invaded her house and hurt her mother. When she recognized everyone starting with Sango, then Miroku and finally InuYasha, her eyes lightened to a bright aqua and she ran to him. He opened his arms in full welcome as she threw herself into him; reveling in her warmth he completely forgot about the other visitor that stood watching the reunion. Sango and Miroku had not forgot however, and although their hearts ached to embrace Kagome as well, they none the less knew that Sesshomaru's presence and Kagome's welcoming of him had to be a sign; whether it was a welcome one or not.

"InuYasha…" Sango said, trying to get his attention, but it was useless. He was fully engrossed in Kagomes' presence and the way his golden eyes seemed both brighter and clouded showed that he was lost within her. Kagome seemed equally as oblivious to her surroundings as her light eyes swam with ever changing colors and crystal tears. Both Sango and Miroku saw her lips move and the way InuYasha raised a black painted finger to her lips, quieting her gently. Both tried strained to listen and hear as he spoke in return and saw her lips were his answer. Miroku had to feverishly fight the urge to caress Sango as the display unfolded, but he knew that as soon as he laid a finger on her plump rump that he would be dead were he stood. He inhaled deeply and watched a Sesshomaru glided silently to the front window were he was fully masked in the darkness of the dimly lit room. Miroku saw a subtle movement as Sesshomaru turned to once again face the others and the only thing visible in the darkness in which he stood were his eyes that glowed like lanterns suspended in perpetual darkness.

"_**INUYASHA**_!" Sango finally called loud enough to break the two out of their love embrace. InuYasha turned towards Sango and she saw that he was pissed for being interrupted. She knew that he would have growled at her if the circumstances had allowed it so he instead glared at her. She frowned and lightly tossed her head in Sesshomaru's direction. He followed her gesture without any more coaxing to her relief and when he saw Sesshomaru's eyes glowing in the storm darkened corner of the room, his body tensed and he pulled Kagome behind him.

"What's wrong InuYasha?" Kagome asked form behind him. Her voice betrayed no fear that may have lurked behind her momentarily happy exterior.

"Just stay back. You don't know anything about him," InuYasha said, his voice low and threatening. His gaze was boring into the shadowy outline of Sesshomaru, although the older youkia seemed to either not notice or care; perhaps even both. He instead turned back towards the window and looked out into the growing ferocity of the snow storm outside. It seemed as if the only consistent thing over the last 500 plus years was Sesshomaru's unwavering indifference; this made Sango feel both a bit at ease, but also more tense for they still did not know what he wanted or why he was here.

"Calm down InuYasha, Sesshomaru won't hurt me. He's…an old friend," Kagome said as she gently released herself from InuYasha vice grip and made her way out from behind him. She stood in front of him and lifted his face to meet hers. His gaze at first faltered, looking from her back towards Sesshomaru, then back to her and so forth. Finally his eyes rested on her soft face and she saw that they were filled with apprehension and confusion. She sighed and looked away, knowing that she would have to explain herself, the problem was though, she didn't know how. How was she to explain were she had been and what she had learned; how she had met and remembered Sesshomaru; and how was she to explain what she had done to InuYasha and what he had seen? She turned away from him and closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath and holding a long nailed finger to InuYasha's lips before he could ask what she was about to answer.

"Listen InuYasha, Sym, Miroku…I have a lot to tell you," Kagome said as she turned back towards her friends who all stood tall and quiet as they listened to her voice fill the room. At that moment as she looked at them and they looked back, she felt afraid; afraid of what they would think and what they would do when she showed and told them about what had happened and what she had become. She knew that they loved her, but could they love her knowing what she was? She turned towards Sesshomaru as he emerged from the shadows and studied the reunited group. He turned from them and walked over to the back of the couch that separated him from them and placed his hands behind his back in a way a teacher that was surveying his students might. InuYasha clenched his teeth and swallowed the snarl that had built up in the back of his throat. Sango and Miroku walked up behind the disguised hanyuo and waited for Sesshomaru to speak, but to everyone's surprise, it was Kagome who spoke out first.

"Before we get to the actual introduction, there is something I need to tell, or show, everyone, including you Sesshomaru. I don't know why I have to or what it means, but something is telling me that whatever it is that it's really important, so just gather around me," Kagome said her voice sharp and somewhat commanding. Everyone, including Sesshomaru, looked at one another and obediently walked up to Kagome and stood in front of her; Sango shoulder to shoulder with Miroku, hand intertwined; and Sesshomaru and InuYasha shoulder to shoulder, exchanging silent growls of disapproval. Kagome took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she held out the silver clad hand, palm up. Her mind began to think back to the vivid dream she had had when she stopped to rest in one of the high trees that lined the edges of the forest. As she thought, the images were projected onto the sliver surface. Everyone remained silent throughout the mini movie and when the images finally faded and the surface of the glove once again became the smooth surface of a glove and nothing more, everyone looked up at Kagome; eyes wide and faces paler than had been before, even Sesshomaru looked a shade lighter.

"I know that I have a lot of explaining to do but…" and as the words escaped her lips, her eyelids fluttered and she felt her legs turn to Jell-O as she collapsed. Instead of hitting the hard wood though, she landed in the strong arms of InuYasha and as she struggled to keep her eyes open, she noticed a thin gold chain hanging around his neck. She reached up and fingered the chain, causing him to look down at her fingers. She vaguely noticed his face grow tighter as he gently held her fingers and tucked the chain back into his shirt, hiding it from her hazy view. She sighed heavily and felt him lift her off the ground and then she felt him walking swiftly and quietly up the carpeted stairs and before she knew it, he was covering her up with her black and pink comforter.

"Wait…" she said sluggishly for her tongue felt like it weighed as much as a gold brick. He stopped, her covers in his hands hovered just slightly above her chest, and then he put them down gently over her breasts. He bent over her and put a finger to her lips. She could taste him; a sweet taste like cherries mixed with the slightly tangy ting of sea salt. Together they were entrancing and she nearly forgot what she wanted him to stop for. As he leaned over, combing her thick black hair from her face, she saw the golden chain again. They had known each other for many years and never once did she remember seeing him wear any type of jewelry, let alone a necklace; it just wasn't his style. Instead of trying to un-stick her super glued lips and weight lift her tongue, she reached up and grasped the golden chain between two of her slim fingers. He knew what she was going for and grabbed her hand in his as she once again ran the individual links through her fingers. She looked up and saw sadness in his eyes that she had never seen before; or had she for it was a look so familiar, yet so far from her grasp. Her mind and head were aching and throbbing and as she moved from a plane of senses and light to one of silence and darkness, she saw him unclasp the golden chain and take off a beautiful gold, heart shaped locket from around his neck. She felt him place it in her hand and close her tired fingers around it as she drifted into a calming nothing that was sleep.

He looked down at the sleeping girl before him and watched as she raised her fist that the locket of their memories held and place it against her chest, right above her heart. He leaned over and kissed her forehead which was warm, but thankfully not feverish and watched as a small smile formed on her think, pink lips. He sighed heavily and rose off the king sized bed silently, and made careful not to move the mattress he had just been seated on as to not disturb its current occupant. He walked to the doorway and spared one last glance back at the sleeping figure as he made his way back down the stairs to the group who awaited his return and for a word on the condition of Kagome.

* * *

"What in the hell are you doing here Sesshomaru?" InuYasha growled as he descended the last stair, stripping off the Kakusu Seishin charm as he did. Sesshomaru had also removed what little disguise he had and now the crescent moon shape that christened his forehead could be seen. He turned towards his furious half-brother and his eyes narrowed in annoyance. Sango and Miroku also removed their charms and walked up behind the hanyuo, waiting to restrain him and to hear what Sesshomaru had to say. The Taiyouki lifted his head slightly and, to the complete astonishment of all three friends, he sighed, shook his head and opened his eyes which showed weariness and worry that was nothing like the once great noble, fearless, and stone hearted Lord of the West.

"She's right," he finally said as he walked around the couch, past the dumbfounded InuYasha, and finally leaned against the wall next to the kitchen door he had come through only an hour earlier. He placed his hands in the pockets of his well tailored and fitted black suit pants and rested his head against the wall. He closed his eyes and seemed to have either fallen asleep or turned into a flesh and blood living room decoration.

"What do you mean, she was right? Who and what was she was right about?" InuYasha said. His voice was low, but it had lost most of its warning and anger, due in part to Sesshomaru's unusual and down right unnatural display of emotion. Sesshomaru shook his head; white hair swished against the wall with each turn of his head and it made his shadow dance across the wall. He opened his eyes and with little effort, as if the wall had gently pushed him, he came off the wall and stood in front of InuYasha. He looked down at all three, but did not tower over InuYasha as he did with the monk and slayer; he stood only a few inches taller than the hanyuo, but was a good 3 feet taller than InuYasha's human counterparts.

"Your wards vision was correct. Naraku is back," Sesshomaru said, his voice once again low and toneless. The change back to normalcy made Sango feel both a bit less edgy but also more anxious. The Taiyouki's golden eyes met his brothers matching tawny globes and each reflected one another's thoughts and emotions; even if there seemed to not be any between them.

"How can you be so damn sure?" InuYasha growled lowly. Sesshomaru growled lowly in return and pulled back, making a gap between the two to both Sango and Miroku's relief. A bloody mess in Kagome's house is not exactly what the pair wanted to clean up and deal with. Sesshomaru stripped off his jacket and his button up white dress shirt, exposing his firm, pale chest and solid, etched abs; a single, ugly black scar marred his fair skin, right were his heart beat under his ribs. The mark looked like a black spider's web that had been burned into his skin, making the surrounding skin tight, red, and bruised. InuYasha's, as well as both the monk and his slayer mate's eyes spoke of the need for an answer.

"In the night, no more than 2 weeks ago, this Sesshomaru was attacked in his sleep. It tried to take this Sesshomaru's heart right from my chest as I slept. I awoke and tore the hand from his body, watching it shrivel, smoke, and burn this Sesshomaru's skin as it did. I destroyed it, but as Jakken arrived and turned on the lights, all that was left was on the bed were Naraku's baboon skin, and his laugh. He is back," he said as he re-buttoned his jacket over his bare chest for he had ripped his shirt beyond repair. InuYasha was still at a loss and turned violently back towards his brother who had walked away from him. The hanyuo's eyes burned with anger fueled by confusion and fear.

"What the hell does he want, and don't you dare tell me you don't know," InuYasha growled deeply. Sesshomaru stopped, his hand on the front doorknob as turned his head to look at his younger half-brother. His eyes seemed to be nothing more than yellow globes that served no purpose but for sight, but InuYasha could see more behind the sandy stones. He could see something that almost shocked him more than the words that came from his lips; fear. Sesshomaru shifted his gaze towards the top of the blackened staircase where Kagome stood; watching and seeing and uttered but one word.

"Her."


	15. Wind Tunnel

_**Author's Note: Hey everyone, due to the overwhelming demand for a new chapter I have worked night and day to bring this to you! I hope everyone enjoys, and I thought you'd all like to know that I will be posting a new story that involves Sango and Miroku. A change a pace was needed I think, LOL. But enough jibber jabber, here's Chapter 15. ENJOY!**_

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_**Wind Tunnel**_

**Ch. 15**

InuYasha hardly felt the bitterly cold breeze that clawed at the bare skin of his exposed arms as Sesshomaru opened the front door and slid out of it unnoticed. He disappeared into the cold, dark night leaving no trance of himself behind but a stray button that had become undone after he had stripped off his shirt. The only thing that the hanyuo was focused on was the silent and still girl who stood at the top landing of the stairs; bathed in the darkness of the night, only eyes of silvery blue shown clearly. He was transfixed by those eyes, eyes he had never seen before but where familiar in so many ways; intelligent, fierce, and hurt. A fleeting thought of how much it would hurt to have her SIT him right now passed through his mind before he realized that he hadn't worn that charm in many, many years, not since she had been cast from the feudal area after their last battle with Naraku. He meant to dwell further on the topic of that damned spider hanyuo, but soft, rapid footsteps that made only the faintest footfalls on the hardwood broke him from his retreat into his mind. He did not want to face her, not like this; it was to soon for her to know and she should never have found out like this.

"InuYasha," her voice was soft, and hurt had nestled into it like a bird bedding down for the long winter months ahead. He turned his head from her, not wanting to meet those startling silvery blue eyes; it would be too much for him. A hand on his cheek turning his head towards her fixed that problem, now he would be forced to gaze at her and feel his guilt eat him alive as it had so many times over the past 5 and a half decades. He swallowed hard and finally turned his gilded eyes towards hers reluctantly for he could feel her stare boring into the side of his head, drilling holes deep into his conscience.

"Kagome, I can…explain," he said, pausing only to make sure what he was seeing was real. In front of him stood what could have only been a mirage; a horrible dream in which the only woman who had loved him for who and what he truly was, was standing in front of him looking as she had the day she had been taken away from him; from everyone.

"You don't need to explain anything to me, or hide anymore…I remember," she said, her voice breaking a little as she finished her sentence. She looked deeply into his golden eyes with her chocolate brown ones and he saw a smile flash in those eyes he had longed to see for so long. She shifted nervously, her plain brown loafers scuffing the imitation oak wood floorboards as she did. The long, thigh high white tights she wore began to itch and a faint breeze tickled her rump with its cold fingers as it found its way under the short, ruffly green miniskirt she wore. As she felt his eyes begin to scan her, a cool breeze blew from under the kitchen door and she wrapped her toned arms around her, even though she wore a long sleeved white blouse with a green color complete with a red 'bow' that rested between her breasts. It felt right to have this on, and she was glad her mother had given it to her, even though the way InuYasha was staring at her made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

"InuYasha, are you going to say something or are you going to just stand there like a slobbering idiot all night?" she asked. She saw him blink, and then squint, then frown and finally a snarl/smile broke out across his face, revealing that familiar single white fang. Her heart lifted and she smiled larger and more fully than she had in quite some time.

"What did you call me wench?" he growled playfully. She knew full well that he was overjoyed to have her back, and she was glad to finally be back and to have him back to his old ways. She threw her arms around him and squeezed him as tight as she could; which was actually rather tight due to her knew 'friends.'

"Not so tight damnit. You'll break my neck," he said as he hugged her back and she relaxed her grip a little. She knew that his neck would be sore later on, but she was more than willing to give him a nice, long neck massage when his complaining started; and complain he would. She could smell him and it was intoxicating and she knew he was going through the same thing, even though she couldn't see his face. She buried her face in his long, white hair as he had done with her long raven hair and breathed in deeply, filling her nostrils and brain with the haze of his scent. She heard a small, stifled sob and lifted her head to meet the eyes of her long lost 'sister.'

Sango stood on the opposite end of the room and was trying to the best of her ability to not cry and interrupt InuYasha's moment with Kagome. They had all waited the better half of 5 decades for this moment, but the hanyuo had been the one who had taken it the hardest and so she did not want interrupt him. There was plenty of time now to spend with her and she would gladly wait her turn. But the sight of those familiar brown eyes and old, slightly shorter and tighter school uniform became too much for her and she let out a small sob from beneath the fingers that were clamped tightly over her mouth, leaving little red fingertip prints around the corners of her mouth. As Kagome turned her eyes towards her, Sango felt that it must all be a dream for this could surely not be real. It was all happening to fast and nothing this wonderful ever unfolded so evenly and smoothly. But as Kagomes arms folded around her neck and squeezed her gently, she knew that it was all too real and she finally let her control go.

"Oh Kagome, I can't believe it's finally really _**YOU**_!" Sango said as she lifted the light weight girl off her feet and twirled her around, causing Kagome to squeal in delight. There was much to discuss, explain, plan, and prepare, but now was the time for reunion and joy. Sango stopped twirling for she was becoming extremely dizzy with both overwhelming emotion and the constant circular motion of the world flying around her. She set down the equally dizzy Kagome before she hit the back of the couch and tumbled over it, laughing loudly as she did, sparing only a loud OOF, before bursting out into laughter again. Kagome laughed louder as she tumbled into Miroku's arms and was embraced by the somber monk. As he embraced her, he felt the joy and love roll off of her in crashes waves that dove under the sad, somber surface and uproot his calm. He finally broke out into laughter and squeezed her tighter than he had meant too, but she squeezed back equally as tight and then lifted him off his feet. He let out an audible, girly squeal of surprise as he rose off the floor and then landed on his butt suddenly as Kagome doubled over in laughter at his reaction to her knew found strength. The three friends now rolled on the floor together, laughing until no more breath would escape them; until their faces felt like they would split; until their sides felt like their ribs would explode and let their bladders loose at the same time. Only InuYasha watched them with a look mildly displeased look on his face. He sighed deeply, folded his arms across his well toned, slightly broad chest, and cleared his throat loudly, catching the attention of the three, in his opinion, laughing loonies lying on the floor. They all looked up at him, eyes watering and goofy smiles still plastered on their bright red, slightly purpling faces. He shook his head and offered a hand to Kagome, who took it readily enough. He lifted to her feet as if he was picking up a discarded pillow feather and then re-crossed his arms as he stared deeply into her large, doe brown eyes.

"What is it InuYasha?" she asked, he voice low and questioning. She saw something like suspicion flicker in his beautiful gold eyes and it hurt her, but she understood why he would be. After the debacle back at his apartment as well as her lengthy disappearance, his suspicion was well founded and justified. She sighed, turned from him and walked towards a window that was cloaked in a soft darkness. She pulled the colorless curtain back from the window pain and watched as her breath fogged the glass; she fought the urge to peer deeper into it like she had done earlier at InuYasha's place and she instead closed her eyes and put her hot forehead against the cold glass.

"What happened Kagome?" came his voice from behind her. The coldness in his voice tore threw her heart and she could feel the warm flood of emotion escape it like blood flowing through the spot her heart had been. He fixed his gaze on her and watched as she gazed out into the whiteness of the night and the memory of those silver eyes peering down at him from the pitch black stare case hit him and piled more dry firewood onto the fire of suspicion that had begun to grow within him.

"_Taiyo, Tsuki. I think it's time_," she thought, knowing full well that they could hear her. She felt a chill run through the length of her body and as she opened her eyes, she saw them reflected liquid silver with red pupils in the transparent glass. She ran her now curved and clawed fingers through her long, silky raven hair and saw glints of silver in a stray ray of moonlight that had escaped the blinding snow and storm clouds as she did. She took in a deep breath and clenched her fists, summoning the strength to face her friends with the secret she had been trying so hard to hide. But then she realized that they had also been through the same thing; hiding who they really were to save her from the shock and utter disbelief of the truth and her past. She lowered her head and walked out of the shadows into the light and into their sight. She listened for the gasps and mutterings that she had so long expected to hear, instead, she heard silence which was just as crushing as they sounds of shock and anger would have been. She looked up, her eyes scanning the faces of her friends; looking for the disgust and bewilderment she had dreamt of so many times before. What she saw was what she had not expected and could never have dreamed for; instead of the sneers and sadness, she saw a bit of confusion, but there was more love and acceptance that anything she could have prayed for.

"Are you not afraid of me?" Kagome asked and was surprised when both Miroku and Sango started to laugh. Sango shook her head as she held her aching and sore sides. She elbowed Miroku in his equally sore ribs, causing him to wince. But he knew what the nudge meant and a small smile etched the surfaces of his face.

"Come now Kagome, why would we of all people be afraid? We've faced the most ugly, dangerous, and vile things in the past and this present. So I ask you again, why we would be afraid of a beautiful wonder such as yourself?" he said, his head cocked to one side like a puppy who had just heard and understood his master say the dumbest thing, like 'whose a good puppy-kin woobadooba' to him. She smiled wide, revealing a small white canine tooth that rubbed against her bottom lip as she smiled. The feeling of the sharp, pointed edge brought InuYasha to the forefront of his mind and she turned her head slowly to meet his.

Filled with growing suspicion and caution, his gilded eyes scanned her new features, searching for a clue to what she was. He inhaled in a deep breath that was filled with her familiar Jasmine scent, but there was something else there; a tinge of summer cinnamon and wintergreen mint. He jerked his head back and growled lowly. He did not trust whatever this knew being in front of him was and he reacted the only way he knew how; hostile. He immediately regretted it though for the reflected of sadness and hurt that were reflected in the fluctuating colors of her eyes hurt him more than he could have imagined. She cringed from him as the growl escaped his throat and she held up a hand to stop the flood of obscenities and curses Sango was prepared to through his way; Kagome knew his anger and suspicion were justified and knew that they all deserved an answer and they would now get one. She walked over to the life size mirror that hung on the wall next to the kitchen door stared into it. She breathed in deeply and leaned closer to the mirror, expelling her breath onto his clean surface slowly, spreading it out onto as large an area as she could manage. She watched as the fog her breath had created on the single pane of reflective glass began to expand and take shape. Soon, two sets of eyes, one silvery blue and the other red and blue took form. Then two bodies appeared and finally the triquetra symbols on the foreheads appeared. The two figures now fully visible inside the glass nodded in unison to her and Kagome nodded back. She stepped back and looked at her friends from over her shoulder, taking slight enjoyment out of the looks of pure amazement on their faces.

"Sango, Miroku…InuYasha, I would like you all to meet my two new 'friends'; Taiyo and Tsuki."

* * *

"So you're the youkia goddess; one of Sun and one of Moon," Miroku said as he peered at them from the other side of the glass. The sisters nodded in answer and otherwise remained silent which greatly annoyed Kagome. How was InuYasha ever going to believe and trust her if they didn't start acting like they weren't just mirages conjured up by some unknown force working inside her body? Sango stood behind the annoyed Kagome and placed a hand on her shoulder, but Kagome didn't even seem to register the small gesture Sango had made, but as she went to remove her hand, Kagome's stopped her and held her hand on her shoulder. Sango squeezed her shoulder gently as a gesture of understanding and Kagome lowered her clawed hand back down to her lap where it immediately curled into a tight fist. InuYasha saw the anger painted on Kagomes face but he ignored it in favor of studying the two entities that had taken over the body of his beloved. He went over to the mirror, pushing the monk out of the way as he did. He leaned over and looked closer at the mirror, checking to see if it was solid or to make sure it wasn't some sort of trickery. A muffled giggle from in front of his face startled him and he jumped back, claws curled and ready to strike.

"I apologize. I just couldn't help myself. You all look so odd staring into the mirror as if you were trying to break it with your mind," Tsuki said, stifling another giggle that threatened to burst forth again. Taiyo looked over at her sister and rolled her brilliantly cold, silvery blue eyes. She turned towards the crowd of three that had formed around the mirror and addressed them in her smooth, usual calm voice.

"As the monk has already pointed out, we are Taiyo and Tsuki, the youkia goddesses of the Sun and Moon. And yes, we have become, for lack of a better word, attached to your dearest friend Kagome here. And no, we don't know why we have joined with Kagome but I assure you we did not entwine ourselves with your friend upon our own free will," Taiyo said, her voice as smooth as virgin snow and as cold as it. Although Kagome knew she meant well, the tone of her voice wasn't a very warming one and her explanation was sparse at best. But, then again, how could she explain what she truly did not know. Kagome sighed and ran her long, slenderly clawed fingers through her silvery onyx colored hair, marveling at how silken it felt. Sure, being half demonic -or half_**godly**_ demonic - had its perks, but was it worth the alienation by the one who loved her; who had waited many lifetimes to see her again? She was beginning to think not.

"Come now Kagome, why are you so lonely? Are you not happy to be with your friends and memories again?" Tsuki said, leaning over to the very edge of the mirror so that half of her head disappeared from the frame. Her eyes were nearly the Alice Blue they had been back in the forest, but her red pupils still shown starkly against the blue of the rest of her eyes. The Moon goddess frowned and her mouth slanted downwards to a small frown.

"Please, no mind reading in public Tsuki. I appreciate your concern but…" she was interrupted by the growing red of Tsuki's eyes. She may have tried to hide it, but how easy could it have been to hide something in your mind that you now shared with two others? Kagome knew that Tsuki had seen what was bothering her, making her withdrawn and less social; she didn't like it.

"Tell me hanyuo; do you take pleasure in torturing you ward? Because I can see no other reason why you would be so cold and suspicious of her, for no living creature could be so dense as to see that she, along with us, are just puppets in a much larger show," Tsuki growled, her anger was causing the mirror to begin to liquefy and drip to the floor with a small _hissss_ each time a droplet of molten glass landed on the hardwood. InuYasha was taken aback by the clear anger and immense power that the Moon goddess possessed. He was also embarrassed by her words and as he turned towards Kagome, he saw too that she was equally embarrassed, but he saw gratitude behind the slivery orbs that were trying to avoid eye contact with him.

A large _**CRACK**_made InuYasha whip his head back in the direction of the mirror laden sisters and saw that the rapidly cooling glass had cracked straight up the middle, separating the two sisters inside it. Taiyo looked more than pissed and Tsuki looked guilty, but a mischievous smile played on her ruby red lips. She saw Taiyo glaring at her and she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms before she nodded her head in her sisters' direction. They may have been twins, but a hungry feral cat and a fat barn mouse had more in common than the two.

"Aside from the introductions, what Kagome had showed you earlier is true," Taiyo said, her voice still had its calm serenity, but a hint of annoyance and subtle anger lay just below its surface. Miroku stepped forward and crossed his arms across his broad chest and frowned, his neatly plucked eye brows frowning as well.

"What's true?" he said, turning his head slightly to further illustrate both his slight confusion and lingering suspicions. Taiyo opened her mouth to answer, but it was Tsuki's voice that answered.

"Naraku," she said, still not daring to look directly at her sister. Taiyo's eye began to twitch and Sango had to bite her tongue to the point of drawing blood to suppress the laughter that was building up in the back of her throat. It felt as if her vocal cords would explode and her laughter would erupt from the gapping hole in neck that would be left. Cracking her neck from side to side, Taiyo straightened out her back and cleared her throat, but was once again interrupted. She shook her head and vowed to keep silent so that she could keep from such an outburst like the one Tsuki had just demonstrated.

"It can't be true, if Naraku was back I'd know, my…." but he was cut off by a hot, stabbing pain in his left hand. He grabbed his wrist as the pain radiated up his ram and exploded in his chest. He went down fast and hard before anyone knew what was going on. His screams of pain echoed in the empty halls and Kun-Loon appeared in the dark stairwell where she looked down upon the agonized monk in horror.

"Go back to your room mom! I will come get you when everything is settled!" Kagome said, watching as her mother disappeared into the darkness as quietly as she had appeared from it.

"Kagome! Grab his left hand with your right and squeeze! You must hurry before it opens up completely!" Taiyo yelled over the monks screams. Kagome didn't hesitate in throwing her self off the couch and onto the floor where her impact made a loud _**THUD**_. Sango was already at Miroku's side and Kagome also didn't hesitate in pushing her aside, but made sure to do it gently; knocking the stunned slayer onto her butt.

"Let me see your hand Miroku!" Kagome said, but he was lost in a world of agony and disbelief and she saw that small objects such as spilled silver ware that Sango had knocked off the table in her attempt to help Miroku and throw pillows that Kagome had knocked off the couch when she catapulted from it, were being sucked towards the monks twitching left hand. Kagome slammed a hand over the monks' mouth, promptly cutting off his loud, piercing screams; his large, watering magenta eyes looked into hers and for the first time since she had met him many years ago, she saw fear welling in them, spilling over each time large, salty tear spilled from his wide eyes. She growled lowly and grabbed his left hand with her gloved right one and as she did, the sucking stopped with a loud squelching sound. She felt an immense pressure on the palm of her hand, but then it stopped and evened out. She breathed a sigh of relief and let go of the monks' mouth, wiping the thick, wet slobber and spittle onto her white thigh high tights, leaving a dark spot on them. She looked down at him to tell him it was ok for now, but she saw that he had passed out and now lay sprawled out on her living room floor with one of his hands clenched tightly in hers. It had become too much for him and she found herself actually thanking the gods that he had passed out; it saved having to explain to him what had really just happened, though she supposed he already knew. She looked over at Sango and nodded and the slayer slid over to the monks' head and placed it in her lap, stroking his hair gently. Her face was as pale as his and the look of exhaustion on her face hit Kagome with a forklift of guilt. Maybe it she hadn't remembered, this would never have happened; everyone would still be ok and happy she supposed.

"InuYasha, do you know were Miroku keeps his old monks wear?" Kagome said, her eyes now a startling silver with tendrils of brown. He shook his head and shrugged because words had escaped him for disbelief had stolen his voice.

"Sango, look at me dear, do you know were he keeps his old gear?" Kagome said gently. Sango looked up at her and smiled sadly.

"We both kept our old gear. There in the floor safe under the bed. The combo is 7-7-6-3; it doesn't matter which way you turn the dial for the numbers because it was always to hard for him to remember both the left-right combos and the numbers," she said absently. Kagome turned back to InuYasha and looked him straight into his golden, chrome colored eyes and nodded, her charcoal hair falling across her face as she did. He thought that she had never looked so beautiful than she did at this moment and he suddenly felt foolish for his actions earlier. He would dwell on that later, now he had a job to do. He turned towards the door, grabbed a black hoodie, threw the dark hood over his head and opened the door, ready to step out into the blistering night so that he could once again save a friend.

"InuYasha, get mine too," Sango said dreamily from behind him. He knew that she teetering on the brink of conciseness now too; soon she would be too tired to keep her hazel eyes open and she would join Miroku in a blissful state of unconsciousness. He turned his head back towards the two girls and saw that the youkia sisters had left their mirror and had probably returned to Kagome in order to help her in keeping the monks' Wind Tunnel under control until he got back. With a nod, only visible by the slight dip of the sandy orbs that glowed in the darkness of the door frame, the hanyuo disappeared into the night. Kagome took in a deep breath and prayed.


	16. Princes

_**Author's Note: I do not own InuYasha or any other related characters. Anyway, I've finally updated so tell me what ya'll thinky! So, here's Chapter 16. ENJOY!**_

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_**Princes**_

**Ch. 16**

Running through the snowy nightscape, InuYasha felt repulsed at the feeling of the falling snow that hit his face and melted instantly. He knew why he hated the snow so much; although he supposed that his disdain for it would soon pass because she was know back in his life. He thought back to the final battle with that vile spider and how the white of the snow had turned both red with their blood and black with his; it was a long, bloody fight and Kagome had the whole jewel clutched in her fingers while she was within Naraku's grasp. He still remembered how the long, black legs of Naraku's true form had wrapped around her pale, thin figure and he had heard him whispering nefarious promises into her ear. From where he was struggling to stand, InuYasha could see her slowly becoming absorbed within his hideously swollen and broken body. InuYasha had screamed her name, and he saw her large, brown eyes open and after that there was a blinding purple flash and she was gone. The last thing he remembered was her voice calling his name; but now that he thought about it, in the binding purple sheet of light, he thought he had seen something. Was it possible that he had seen the melding of the sisters and Kagome or maybe his mind was trying to find an answer to Kagome's current situation.

"Stupid snow, I can't see anything, let alone barely smell," he thought as he tore through curtains of relentless white. He growled and tried to push himself harder, but the cold, harsh wind was stronger. He cursed through clenched teeth and swerved to avoid a rapidly approaching oak tree that had materialized in front of him. As he did, he heard the blaring of a horn from somewhere behind him and had the fleeting notion that some idiot had driven up on the sidewalk and was heading straight for him. Sure enough, from behind him came the bright, white headlights of an SUV; and it was on top of him. He knew he wouldn't have time to roll out of the way and was now just praying that he could survive the impact. In the split second that it took for the headlights to tear through the snow and InuYasha seeing them, he snapped closed his eyes, clenched his fists and felt something sideswipe him and throw him off his feet.

* * *

Kagome was sitting in the living room with Miroku's hand still in hers and Sango fast asleep with the monk's head in her lap. Kagome was humming quietly to herself as she reflected on the nights past events. She sighed heavily and scooted over to the wall, leaning her head against it. She closed her eyes and revealed in the darkness behind her lids. Although her mind was racing, the darkness in front of her eyes was a welcome relief.

"Just like old times," she aloud. She chuckled a bit at the irony of her statement and ran her fingers through her ebony hair.

"Not quite my love, no quite," someone said. Kagome bolted straight up and scanned the room for anyone. She heard a weak chuckle from next to her. She turned her head and saw Miroku's tired, dark wine colored eyes looking at her from his spot in Sango's lap. He turned his head sideways slightly so he could see her better.

"Yeah, I guess your right. Nothing will be like the old days," she said as she turned her head away from him, sadness drifting into her voice. The monk studied her and then laughed lightly. She looked over at him again and her expression told him she thought he was loosing it. He rolled his eyes and made to get up; using his free arm he tried to prop himself up onto his elbow but he lost his balance and fell back into Sango's lap. The slayer stirred, but did not wake; she seemed more exhausted than Miroku was. Kagome had to suppress a laugh and threw her free hand over her mouth to stop it. Miroku noticed how her silvery green eyes sparkled and he was glad to see that although she wasn't exactly the same Kagome he had known over 500 years ago, she was still old Kagome in almost every aspect.

"Do you need some help monk?" she asked quietly. He raised one of his eyebrows and was about to ask her if she was being sarcastic or not when she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and lifted him up so that he was almost nose to nose with her. He was amazed at how strong she was and was also simultaneously embarrassed at how close he was to her. She seemed to sense his discomfort and let him go. He scooted up next to her, straightened out his shirt and laid his head against the wall. She turned towards him and saw how a thin sheet of sweat was matting his hair to his forehead; he was good at hiding his pain when he thought he needed to. She shook her head and reached up over his head, felt around for one of the cloth napkins her mother always kept with the tea tray, finally grabbed one and dropped it onto the monk's head. It covered the entire upper half of his face and he took his free hand and wiped his face and the sides of his head off.

"Thanks," he said, placing the cloth between his legs for future use. Kagome noticed that the cloth was not entirely soaked through, but she guessed that in the next few minutes it would be. She frowned and looked at him, wondering why men must always be so prideful. She was going to say something to him, but she noticed how his chest rose and fell with each deep, slow breath he took and she knew he had fallen asleep again. She sighed and absent mindedly began to finger the gold chain she wore around her neck. She could feel the cool, metal links between her fingers and soon she was holding the small gold heart that hung from the chain and rested between her breasts. She lifted it and looked down, and as her fingers found the clasp, the heart came open and pictures of the old days greeted her eyes. She sighed a heavy, wet, sad sigh and closed the heart again; squeezing it in her fist she nearly neglected to hear soft footsteps come down the stairs and stop in front of her.

"Are you OK my daughter?" Kun-Loon asked as she knelt down in front of her daughter. Kagome opened her eyes and met her mothers gaze. Kun-Loon smiled and Kagome forced a weak smile of her own. Her mother shook her head and closed her own hand around Kagome's closed fist.

"Everything will be OK Kagome. InuYasha waited many lifetimes to see you again and he will stop at nothing to keep you with him always; no matter what," Kun-Loon said. She saw tears standing in her daughters eyes. She pulled her close and placed her head against her bosom as tears slid down her daughters face.

"How can it be mom? I mean, look what's happened already. Nothing will ever be the same," Kagome choked. Her body was shaking with quiet sobs and Kun-Loon hugged her tighter. She kissed the top of her head and placed her cheek atop it.

"Times change my sweet. It's not about the change that matters, it how we deal with those changes that define us," she cooed. Kagome's sobs stopped and she sighed. Looking up at her mother, she saw how old her mother looked in the harsh low lamp light above them. A frown momentarily settled on Kagome's face, but her mother smiled a young, brilliant smile and Kagome could not help but smile back.

"Maybe you're right mom. But he better get back here soon, my arm is falling asleep," Kagome said and they both laughed.

* * *

InuYasha lay face down in the snow with a heavy pressure on his back. He thought that maybe the car had stopped and now he was resting under one of its massive tires. Then he realized that whatever was pinning him was panting and smelled heavily of wood pine and wet dog. He pounded the snow covered ground and growled.

"God damnit Kouga, get off me!" InuYasha growled and a loud laugh emanated from above him as the heavy pressure on him lifted. He got up, brushed off his thoroughly soaked clothes and glared at the person who had just saved his life. Kouga was looking at him with playful brown eyes and his wild, long hazel hair was blowing chaotically in the fiercely relentless wind.

"What, no 'thank you for saving my life Kouga?' " he said, a laugh in his voice. InuYasha, on the other hand was not in the happy-go-lucky kind of mood.

"What are you doing here wolf?" the canine hanyuo growled lowly. Kouga's smile faltered and he looked into the glowing eyes of his fierce rival.

"I was trying to keep an eye on Kagome. Ely lives in the neighborhood and I smelled Kagome and Sesshomaru's scent so I followed it; and ran into you," Kouga said as he crossed his arms. Like InuYasha, he too wore a black hoodie and tight blue jeans, but upon his feet were pure black Converse while InuYasha wore purple, turquoise and black Nikes. InuYasha clenched his fists and pushed past the wolf demon. Kouga just rolled his eyes and trotted up to the hanyuo.

"Come on InuYasha. My time with Kagome is far behind us; can't we just try to be civil with one another?" Kouga asked, trying to sound sympathetic. InuYasha just kept on walking, ignoring Kouga's question. The wolf was beginning to become agitated even though a part of him knew that's what the damn dog wanted.

"Well, then I'm coming with you to wherever you're going," Kouga said as he easily kept pace with InuYasha. The dog demon huffed and just kept going; he had a job to do and he wasn't about to let this damn wolf hinder him.

"It's not important Kouga. Now go to Ely, I'm sure she's wondering where you are," InuYasha said, his voice indifferent as it carried on the howling wind. Kouga laughed a high pitched, sarcastic laugh.

"Ha, you wouldn't be in this big of a hurry if it wasn't. Now tell me InuYasha; a little clue maybe?" Kouga persisted. InuYasha just shook his head and rolled his eyes. Maybe he did deserve to know; he did after all help to kill that damned spider and if Naraku had the nerve to attack Sesshomaru of all people, then maybe it would be wise to let the mangy wolf in on a few details; just a few.

"Miroku's Wind Tunnel has reopened and I'm going to his and Sango's pad to go get his old gear," InuYasha said. He heard the ceasing of Kouga's footsteps and to his own surprise, turned around and looked back towards the wolf. Kouga was standing stock still, the strong wind barely making his strong and solid figure sway. His face had gone pale and was stretched tight, drawing out every line and detail of his young face. He looked at InuYasha, his eyes hoping that it was just a joke, but the hanyuo's eyes told him what was said was true and the wolf dropped his eyes and turned his back on InuYasha.

"Were ya' going Kouga?" InuYasha called to him as the wind began to howl louder and angrier. Kouga turned his head and looked over his slightly slumped shoulders towards InuYasha.

"I've got to go to Ely. I think it's about time I told her the whole truth," Kouga said. He began to turn around but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. The wolf prince turned around and faced the dog prince and both were silent.

"Be careful Kouga. It's almost time to gather everyone and, as much as I hate to say it, we need you," InuYasha said watched as a wide smile replaced the somber gloom of his face. Kouga turned around and clasped InuYasha's hand tightly in his and nodded before he bounded off into the night. InuYasha watched until the wolf was swallowed up in the snow. The hanyuo shook his head before he too turned and bounded off, disappearing into the snow storm with dark thoughts and slide shows of what was and what could be playing in his mind.


	17. Beyound the Mirror

**_Author's Note: Ok, so I know it's been awhile since I've published a new Chapter and I apologize. Finals are next week, then OFC theres Valentine's Day and its just been hectic. This Chapters a bit short, but I swear on my writing soul and all that is InuYasha that the next chapters WILL be longer! So, for now, ENJOY!_**

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_Beyond the Mirror_

**Ch. 17**

"Damn it, what was that stupid combo for this damn safe again?" InuYasha cursed to himself as he fumbled with the safe that was stored in the floor under the houshi's and youkai taijiya's bed. The bed itself was lying on its side with the dark crimson bed sheets and navy blue, almost black comforter sprawled hap hazard on the floor next to it. A few of the pillows had puncture marks in them were the hanyuo had gripped so that he could flip the bed. Forget sliding it over, time was of the essence and neatness would have to suffer for it. As he fumbled with the turn combination lock, he growled and cursed as he clumsily turned the dial, but with each wrong combination he entered, an electric shock would send him flying across the room. A large hole in the side wall of the bedroom, next to the large master bathroom, had formed were the poor dog hanyuo had struck repeatedly.

"That's enough of this shit!" he hissed through clenched teeth as the rubbed his charred right hand. He flexed his fingers and released just a little bit of his youkai. He could feel the extra strength flow through his veins as his inner beast roared in protest as InuYasha carefully filtered his power. He could feel his youkai pulling and straining against the chains that kept it bound within; 500 years had taught the hanyuo how to use his youkai safely and to keep it well under control. It was addicting though and he knew that he had to do it in short bursts in order to keep himself well under control. He breathed in deeply as his chest rumbled with his new power and as he flexed his elongating talons he felt renewed. As he looked down at the damned safe he smiled wickedly and in a flash of lightning white light, the safe lay open; its top was embedded in the wall as it had ripped a hole through the middle of the overturned bed. InuYasha grinned and narrowed his bloody amber eyes, surveying the damage he had done through the cloud of feathers, cloth, and tufts of stuffing that were beginning to settle. He huffed, stood up straight and relinquished his power back to the youkia inside.

"Lets see…" he said as he knelt down and reached inside the safe. He felt around for the safe was larger and deeper than he had originally expected, stretching at least five feet deep and at least 4 feet across; he couldn't really tell because his reach from were he was knelt didn't allow him to get a true feeling for the space within the safe. Finally his hand rested on the long wooden Shakujou, and the many ringed staff clanked and clinked as he lifted it from its hiding place. He marveled at how long it had been since he had seen Miroku hold this staff and the evidence on how long it had not been used was evident by the amount of dust on its solid, polished surface. Although he could tell that every once and awhile the houshi took it out and polished its smooth surface with care, it hadn't been done in a while and when InuYasha laid it down next to him, there were clear fingerprints in the dust coating the staff.

"No where is his damn glove thing…?" InuYasha mumbled in the flickering light of the nightstand lamp. The storm outside was now a frenzied, dangerous living entity and constantly lashed the small house with its icy whips, making the frame creak and the windows rattle. The power lines that fed the entire block were swaying dangerously and in the back of his mind, InuYasha feared the power going out, making his ability to get back to Kagome impossible. As the thought began to creep towards his more conscious mind, his hand came to rest on yet another piece of wood; this one was larger, smoother, and curved; he at once knew it was Sango's Hiraikotsu. He gingerly pulled the large boomerang from within the safe, bumping it slightly on the outer sides of the safe. He brushed it off and placed it next to the monk's Shakujou and this time he bent over almost completely, bracing the walls of the safe with his left hand while reaching deeper down to try and get to the bottom. He finally touched soft cloth that rested on the floor of the safe and grabbed a fistful; he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the jangle of prayer beads against the concrete walls and with a final push he was on his butt with remnants of a life left behind clutched in his hands. The soft, yet tough pink and black material of Sango's slayer uniform and the heavy, coarse material of the monks' robes contrasted each other and as he breathed in he could smell the old forest. The wet wood of the trees, the autumn leaves, the scent of freshly fallen snow all assaulted his senses, bring about a feeling of homesickness; there was also something else, something vile and corrupt.

_**Naraku**_.

He gripped the clothes in his claws and kept them pressed to his face, suffocating himself in Naraku's pestilent smell. He flashed back to that day; flashes of red and black spattered his skin and the spindly hair of the spiders hanyuo's many legs brushing against Kagome's skin as his whispers and rancid breath drifted into her mind and lungs. He hadn't realized how hard he was gripping the cloth in his hands until a loud crash and the abrupt blinking out of the lamplight roughly coaxed him out of his dangerous mediating state. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dark room and he looked down at the clothes clenched in his fingers and loosened his grip on them, lamenting his relief; there were no puncture holes in them. He picked up the weapons and walked into the living room were he set everything down on the table, save the Hiraikotsu. It was much to large so he set it down on the floor before he went over to the front window and looked out, hoping that what he thought had happened really hadn't. But it was much too good to be true and lying in the middle of the street, only visible by its still sputtering high voltage sparks of blue and white, was the large wooden power pole across the street. He cursed and punched the wall next to the window causing a cloud of plaster and wood to puff up around his face causing him to sputter as he inhaled the microscopic plaster bits. He brushed it away absently and stalked back towards the couch.

"What the fuck am I gonna do know? Kagome can't just sit there all night, especially alone," InuYasha grumbled to himself as the wind howled and he fought back the urge to howl in response. He had done enough serenades with the wind after Kagome's departure and now was not the time for another duet. He had to think about how he was going to get all this shit back to everyone in a storm that's ferocity was only matched by the anger of a purified youkia claiming its revenge before its deaths. The inu-hanyuo clenched his teeth tight and worked his jaw heavily, chewing on his tongue as he desperately tried to find a solution to his debilitating problem. But what could be done about the weather; it was more untamable and unpredictable than Sesshomaru.

"Gods damn this all!" he growled. He pushed himself up off the couch, scooting it a few feet from its original resting place and began to pace up and down the living room in the dark. No light from the outside could penetrate the dense clouds of white that were falling from the angry sky and the perpetual darkness only further aggravated InuYasha. He cursed and even stumbled a few times as he paced the entire single floor house. Crashes, bangs, growls, curses, and the sounds of shattering glass were the only signs of life that could be noticed from within the thickening blackness inside Miroku and Sango's home.

"Stop breaking things you stupid beast and find a damn flashlight or candle! I mean, you can see in the dark to some extent for heaven's sake so stop acting like you're as blind as a bat in the high noon light," he scolded himself. Finding his way back to the kitchen, he pulled open drawer after drawer until he heard the rolling and rattle of a flashlight and a few loose batteries. He grabbed the electric lantern, shoved the batteries into his pants pockets and flipped the switch. Bright, artificial white light lit up a large circular portion of the kitchen and, although he would never admit it, scared him by causing his eyes to reflect like green orbs in the glass doors of the cabinets.

"Stupid, mother loving….." he growled lowly as he soothed the rapid beating of his heart. He felt extremely tempted to put his fist through the glass door of the cabinet, but decided he had destroyed enough of their house for one night. Shinning the flashlight towards the front room he saw the clothes lying on the living room table along with the staff and life sized boomerang and made his way towards the couch to once again sit and meditate on his current dilemma.

"InuYasha!" came a soft voice from behind him. He froze in mid step, all the hair on his neck and arms stood up on end and he unconsciously bared his teeth; a sign that he was ready for a fight. He switched off the flashlight, once again plunging the room into heavy darkness. He crouched and turned around quickly towards the sound, anticipating a fight. Instead, to his utter surprise, there, in the hallway mirror, was Tsuki. She was standing with her arms crossed and her left ebony eye brow was raised. She peered at the crouched hanyuo with good natured humor playing in her nearly purple eyes. In the dark, it looked like the red and blue of her eyes had become one, leaving only glowing purple globes. She saw that he wasn't going to say anything, let alone move, and so she rolled her eyes and shook her head, her midnight hair swishing lightly on her shoulders.

"_**HELLLOOOOO!! **_Earth to InuYasha, you still with me big guy?" Tsuki asked, leaning her head so close to the glass that it seemed as if she would come through it to his side as if the clear barrier wasn't there. He shook his head, stood up slowly, and walked over to where Tsuki was waiting for him. He had the fleeting notion of how she must feel, being trapped behind such a thin layer of smooth bars; bars that she had been forced to exist behind as nothing more than a living image of what was. The thought was branded as foolish as he saw how unfazed the ancient youkia looked and acted; almost as if there was nothing holding her back and she was sealed in this mirror and Kagome's body by willful choice.

"What?" he said gruffly. She sighed and unfolded her arms; the long sleeves of her fire and gold kimono fluttering slightly as she removed her hands from inside were they had been clasped together. Her slender, but ever so deadly talons touched the glass that contained her and at once it began to ripple from where she had touched it. The ripples hit the painted oak frame and splashed, leaving small droplets of silver and aqua colored glass teardrops in its wake. InuYasha watched amazed at what he was seeing. After all he had been through, all he had seen and done, he could never have imagined the type of power that Tsuki wielded with such ease, even in her spiritual form. The ripples subsided, but the surface of the once smooth glass still rolled lazily as if they had been turned to transparent mercury.

"Grab the houshi and the taijiya's things. Time is pressing and we still have much to do," she said as she refolded her long arms into her kimono and stood waiting for him to comply. He slowly turned back towards the table where the old world clothes and weapons were waiting to be released from past memory and into here and now.

"How am I supposed to pass them to you Tsuki, if you haven't noticed, you're not exactly…real," he said as he held the Hiraikotsu and Shakujou in one hand and the clothes in the other. Tsuki didn't seemed phased by his words at all and instead removed one hand from inside her kimono and motioned for him to pass the objects through the mirrors lolling surface. He huffed, shifted everything into one hand and thrust it towards the mirrors surface. Instead of his fist smashing the glass like he had anticipated, it instead went right through the glass's now liquid surface. He at once tried to pull his hand back because of the intense cold that was encasing his hand and numbing his nerves, but Tsuki had a hold of his hand immediately. She removed the Hiraikotsu and Shakujou and then the jumpsuit and robes. By this time, InuYasha was recovering from his initial shock and was now just beginning to feel just how cold his hand was. Although he could see his hand on the other side of the mirror's surface, he could not feel it and could barely flex his claws. Ice chips broke away from his fingers each time he flexed them and he saw that his hand had taken on a crystallized appearance and he at once tried to pull his hand away again. This time Tsuki's grip loosened and he slid his wrist from her grip. But as he was about to draw his hand back out into his reality, her eyes turned blood red and she issued a low growl before she grabbed his wrist again, and with strength that could have matched his fathers, pulled him into the mirror with her. She encased him in her arms that felt as cold as the air around them. Just as the living room he had just been in disappeared from his graying vision, he saw something that made his blood run colder than Tsuki's; from the darkness of the room floated two vermillion eyes and the scent that filled the last of InuYasha's thoughts was one of poison and death.


	18. A Houshi's Death

_**Author's Note: Guess whose back? lol, sorry it took me SOOOOO long to finish this chapter, but i had to rewrite it because when i had my comp wiped due to virus overload, this chapter was lost! so enjoy and ch. 19 has been started and will be up before the end of next week!**_

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_**A Houshi's Death**_

**Ch. 18**

"InuYasha!" Kagome choked out as she sat straight up, sweat pouring off her forehead and into her eyes. She blinked away the salty beads as they ran into her eyes and stung them, drawing tears that hadn't already fallen down her face. With her free hand she wiped away the thin sheen of liquid that clung to her smooth forehead and breathed a heavy sigh of relief; what a dream she had just had even though she hadn't remembered falling asleep.

"It was so real," she said quietly to herself as she laid her head against the smooth, cool surface of the wall. Closing her chocolate eyes once more, she tried to bring up images of what she had just seen in her mind, but all she was managing where those horrible eyes; eyes of blood and death. She squeezed Miroku's hand as she felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety and fear sweep through her as Taiyo's voice filled her thoughts.

"He needs you," Taiyo's voice echoed and as the same words escaped her lips, she bolted straight up and to her feet, pulling the monk's arm nearly out of its socket as he was torn out of Sango's lap. His face connected with the floor with an audible _**THUNK**_ as he dangled by one arm from Kagome's iron grip; Sango was jolted awake and sat staring at Kagome with sleepy worry and fear. She was staring at the mirror were only hours earlier the group had met both Tsuki and Taiyo; her unblinking glare was even evident to Miroku whose head was cocked at an awkward and uncomfortable angle so he could see just why she had nearly de-limbed him. Without warning, she abruptly pivoted her body towards the two and yanked Miroku to his feet roughly. The monk let out a loud yelp as the pain in his shoulder doubled and he looked into Kagomes' eyes angrily as he rotated his stiffening shoulder. She looked away from him and back towards the mirror, its reflective surface mirroring back the two that stood before it. Miroku saw how erect and stiff Kagome's body was and how her eyes seemed to be glossed over, as if she was here in person but her mind was far gone.

"Tell me Miroku, do you trust me?" she asked, her voice echoing softly against the high walls and large hallways. Miroku jumped at the sound of her voice which was clearer than mountain water, although her eyes remained distant as she stared into the mirror's surface.

"Yes…" he said, almost hesitantly. At his answer, she turned towards him and as her face passed into the many shadows that cloaked the room she was no longer the Kagome that was staring into the mirror but seconds earlier; now the creature that stood before was more beautiful than anything he could ever imagine. Her eyes were a silvery blue that swam with more colors that he could name; her hair had grown down past her waist and was the color of pure mercury with strands of wispy black silk that brushed her porcelain white face gently, partially obscuring the blue, sliver, and red triquetra that adorned her forehead. She now stood a foot taller than the houshi and he looked up at her with his mouth hanging open slightly. She smiled lightly and bowed, her hair falling across her shoulders as she did. Although Miroku hadn't seemed to notice, Sango saw that although Kagome had had a quick growth spurt, her clothes unfortunately hadn't; the uniform top was now stretched tighter against her large breasts and was much shorter, showing off the smooth skin of her mid drift. Her skirt, which was already short, was now much shorter and showed off the rounded curves of her ass which was clad in much too small black panties. Sango began to think about what Miroku would say, or do, if she had this type of outfit on; a smile snuck onto her face as she thought.

"Sango, I need you to do something for me. Can you?" Kagome said, bringing Sango's gaze up to her face and off her body. Sango nodded, the smile disappearing from her face; she scrambled to her feet for the sense of urgency that Kagome must have felt now seeped into Sango's mind and she stood at attention, ready for instructions.

"Go to the bathroom and run the hot water until it is scalding. _**GO**_!" Kagome ordered, pointing down the hallway to the guest bathroom. With a snap of her long, clawed fingers, the hallway lights blinked to life, lighting the darkness that painted the house; although her eyes were wide and startled, Sango immediately scrambled to the bathroom and soon the sound of gushing water hitting the hollow porcelain basin of the tub filled the silence that had once again engulfed the house.

"Miroku, tell me again, do you trust me?" Kagome said her voice low and sad. The monk turned his head towards her and found himself once again caught in the gaze of those silvery globes. He nodded for his voice had finally failed him. She smiled, nodded and turned towards the stairs, her eyes piercing the thick dark that cloaked it.

"Mother, I need you to come as well. I will need everyone's help," she said, her voice clear and urgent. From the darkness, Kun-Loon emerged, her eyes as calm as her daughters, but confusion was still evident behind their clear exterior. Kagome once again nodded before she reached behind her, grabbed her long, silk like hair and tied it into a tight, high bun allowing only a few loose strands to remain and caress her virgin features.

"Sango, come join us but leave the water running, we will have need for it much later," Kagome said, her back still to the fluorescent light that filled the hallway behind her. Sango emerged from the hallway, much more awake and alert, but also afraid; her eyes portrayed her strong exterior and showed the monk that she was just as afraid of what Kagome was to have them do as he was.

"Listen closely to my instructions for it is what you do, that will determine the life or death of someone dear to us," she said, her voice becoming lower while still maintaining its crystal clear tone. They all stood at attention before her, and with a nod of her head, she turned back towards the mirror that reflected the ragtag but ready group that stood before it. Closing her eyes, the triquetra on her forehead began to glow as she reached out towards the mirror and touched its smooth, glass surface. As the tip of her claw brushed the mirror's surface, it rippled out and away from where her claw was. The ripples rolled out and hit the sides of the mirror's frame, leaving small droplets of silver to run down its length and pool on the floor. As the ripples subsided, the surface still remained like that of liquid mercury, lolling gently giving everything in it a sort of fun house mirror effect. Turning back towards her closest confidants, she sighed heavily, her breath brushing each of their faces, filling their nostrils with her sweet scent.

"Sango, when you get my signal, you will run to the bathroom and drop the drain to allow it to fill with the scalding water; do not, under any circumstances, turn it off even if it overflows. Mother, you will remain here, at the mirror, and when you receive the same signal, you will be ready for whatever emerges from it," Kagome said, internally sighing with heavy relief as the two nodded their heads almost immediately. Sango made to say something though, but Kun-Loon placed a hand on her shoulder and stepped forward.

"What will your signal be?" she said, grabbing Kagome's slender hands in hers, squeezing them gently. Kagome raised her mothers' hands to her lips and kissed them gently, letting the emotions that flowed through her mother, flow through her as well. She raised her head and looked into her mothers' large, brown eyes and smiled a brilliantly beautiful smile. Her mother smiled in return and bowed in sync with her daughter; Kagome leaned over and placed a single kiss on her mothers' forehead. Kun-Loon's head snapped backward violently as Kagome's thin, pink lips left the skin of her forehead, causing Sango to jump in surprise, something Miroku had never seen her do before in the 500 plus years he had known her.

"Kagome," he mother said as she picked her head back up and looked at her with her now purple eyes. She raised her hand and traced the long, violet stripe that now ran down the length and width of her face; it also appeared on the backs of her hands and as she ran her fingers over the thin strands of color, she felt a tingle run up the length of her arm and she squeaked in surprise and delight. Sango and Miroku stared at Kun-Loon with obvious wonder and then back at Kagome whose face was know solemn and etched with the worry she had been hiding from them.

"When my mark glows and you feel that same tingle run through your entire body, you and Sango must take your places immediately. Do you understand?" Kagome said, her voice filled with urgency and almost begging them for an answer. They all nodded in unison and a small smile broke the worry that had masked her face; Miroku felt her squeeze his hand and within a heartbeat, his body was pressed against hers. He could feel her every curve; the softness of her skin on his; her warm breath on his neck as she lowered her mouth to his ear; he could feel all of her and he shuddered in pleasure knowing full well that he could not resist such heavenly beauty, even if he used all of his teachings and will. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to let go of his own free will and to have her do what she must to him.

"Houshi, do you trust us?" Kagome's voice whispered into his ear. Her sweet voice was blended with Taiyo's and he took a sharp intake of breath and breathed out a soft answer, inaudible to any human ear. A sad smile overtook her gentle features as she looked straight at Sango and then nodded in her mothers' direction. Sango felt Kun-Loon grab her around her waist and hold her tight against her and whisper soft words into her ear; she felt numb as the words drifted through her ear and took hold of her brain and she collapsed in a heap within Kun-Loon's arms. Kagome watched with tears glowing in her eyes and as Kun-Loon nodded in her direction, Kagome turned lips back towards Miroku's ear.

"Please forgive me," she whispered and as the words left her lips, Miroku felt her sink her claws deep into his chest where they punctured his rapidly beating heart. His eyes shot open as he pulled away from her quickly, the strength leaving him rapidly; he desperately searched her eyes for an answer and saw only silver death. He heard Sango call his name from far in the distance as his legs gave out and he fell to his knees, placing his free hand on his chest as he fell. He felt a hot liquid seep through his fingers and as he raised the hand to his face, he saw that it was covered in a thick, crimson fluid; his blood. His vision blurred and he dropped his hand back to his side, smearing the hardwood with the blood that dripped from his limp fingers. Falling backwards, he landed in Kagome's lap and he looked up at her dimming features; her large, hoary eyes were the only thing that remained constant in his blackening vision. Such beautiful eyes of death stared into him as they became closer and soon they were closed and he felt warm lips on his and, as he closed his eyes for the last time, he met her lips with his. A warm, slender hand placed itself on the stain where she had killed him and as his heart beat for the last time, she opened her mouth and breathed his name into his breathless lungs. As his mouth limply opened to allow her entrance, a breath as cold as dry ice filled his lungs and the hand over his un-beating heart pushed down. A sensation like that of a lightning strike filled the last lingering bit of his consciousness and his body seized up; his back arched and his fingers clenched against the current that now flowed through him and his eyes shot open. The world light up around him as his body slammed back down to the floor and he could feel the pain that flowed through his spine as it connected with maple floorboards. That pain was overtaken though as the sheer agony that filled his chest flooded his new found consciousness and he squeezed his eyes shut tightly against the pain. He wanted to scream, but Kagome's mouth was still on his and her soft, warm lips calmed the pain a bit as he focused on her and how she tasted of warm cinnamon. He could still feel the dry cold of her breath running down his throat and soon his lungs were begging him for the air he could not breathe through her. He placed his free hand over the hand she had on his chest and he could feel the blistering heat that burned him as he gripped her hand. Her eyes shot open and the glow from them was so intense that he nearly had to shut his eyes because of their intensity, but as she blinked, their glow ceased and returned to their light, silver color. The heat from her hand also dissipated and she removed it quickly; he saw that it was covered in his dried blood making it seem black and charred. She sat on her knees, her glove clad hand still gripping his, keeping his Wind Tunnel under control, but he did not notice; he lay there, unable to truly grasp what had just happened. He sat up slowly and ripped open his shirt, revealing his toned chest; upon the once unmarred skin, there were four small circular scars were Kagome had dealt him her death blow. He ran his fingers over the small marks and felt his heart beat strong and regular under his fingers. He looked up at the girl who had taken his life and then had given it back, with unmatched bewilderment and wonder. She lowered her head away from his gaze and he quickly found himself on his knees with his free hand under her chin, raising her head slowly to meet his strong, living gaze; her eyes were a masterpiece of unnamed colors that swam, collided and mixed, producing the most beautiful array of shades he had ever seen. Tears slipped from their ever changing surface as she threw her arms around him, bending his left arm behind him roughly. She buried her face into his shoulder and he could feel her smooth skin against his and the tears she cried slip down the bare skin of his back; he swallowed hard and relaxed under her grip. He held her tight with his right arm and placed his face into her hair, breathing her in. Although his sense of smell wasn't anywhere near InuYasha's level, he could still barely smell the Jasmine scent of her hair as it covered his face.

"It was the only way to bring you with me. I didn't want to hurt you, but it would have killed you if I hadn't. I was never going to let you die completely, just enough so that you were connected with the spirit world. Please forgive me Miroku," she whispered into the bare skin of his shoulder. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he whispered his forgiveness to her and she pulled away from him and smiled ever so softly.

"We must hurry, there is little time," Taiyo said, and this time Miroku heard her. He looked around, baffled at where her voice was coming from. Kagome reached over and tapped his head softly with one of her claws. He titled his head slightly, still a bit confused.

"We are both connected to the spirit world now and so you can hear Taiyo too," she said as she stood up, pulling Miroku up gently. He stood tall and strong beside her; Kagome smiled as she saw how handsome and full of life he looked. He turned his head towards Sango who was embraced by Kun-Loon; tears streaked her face and her eyes were glazed over with emotions that overlapped one another. He gently pulled Kagome toward Sango and knelt in front of her. He brushed the tears from her face and she looked up at him, her eyes clearing slowly. He smiled and placed a long, lingering kiss on her dry lips and then stood back at Kagome's side; Sango looked up at them and then touched her lips before she looked back up at her houshi who had been brought back from the doorstep of death by the one who had brought him there.

"Come Miroku, we must go quickly," Kagome said as she forcefully pulled him towards the mirror. He followed her obediently, looking back at his youkia taijiya only when Kagome stopped mere inches from the mirror's surface.

"Do you remember my instructions?" she said, not turning her head to face her mother and the crumpled slayer in her arms. Both nodded their heads, and Kagome nodded once before she stepped into the mirror, its liquid surface rippled as her body disappeared into it followed by the now extremely reluctant monk. He took one more look back before he closed his eyes and submerged himself completely into the mirror.

* * *

"InuYasha, you must stay with me," Tsuki said, her voice seeming to come from nowhere for her lips did not move. InuYasha lay in her arms, draped in the long sleeves of her kimono; his body was beyond numb and his mind was filled with a hazy darkness that was pierced every time her voice resonated in his mind.

"Tsuki," he thought to her, for he could not open his mouth to weakly speak her name. His body had become encased in a thin sheet of crystal ice and his every breath hurt as the air he breathed crystallized his lungs, killing him slowly. Tsuki opened her arms and looked down at the dying half-breed she was desperately trying to protect; his skin had taken on a glittering sheen and the only thing that betrayed his still and deathly appearance was the shaky rise and fall of his chest and the ever shrinking cloud of breath that escaped his nostrils.

"Yes InuYasha," she answered as she re-encased him within the sleeves of her kimono, trying to prolong his life until they could come to retrieve him. Tsuki knew that it had been a dangerous choice to bring the hanyuo to the spirit side, but she also knew she had no choice; to leave him back in the realm of the living would have also meant certain death for the young, brash half-demon. At least with her he would have a better chance of survival than back within the grasps of Naraku.

"Tsuki," he thought to her again. Even his minds voice was beginning to fade and Tsuki held him closer to her, though she knew that it would do no good. Her body was as cold as the air that was killing him and being so close was doing very little good, if not harming him more.

"Be still hanyuo, she is coming," Tsuki cooed. She felt him shudder slightly against her and she knew that time was against them and every second the dead air seeped into lungs, the more chances he had of never leaving. She nearly jumped as she felt InuYasha grip her wrist tightly though; she looked down at him, her eyes a solid Alice Blue and as cool as the air that caressed their skin. His gilded eyes were open and they bore into her angrily and at once, Tsuki knew what he was so angry about. She shook her head, her raven hair falling ever so slightly from her tight bun.

"Be calm InuYasha, she is fine. She has Taiyo and the houshi with her. We are not as reckless as to have her come to our world alone," Tsuki said as she placed an unfeeling hand upon InuYasha's frozen skin. He wheezed loudly as he un-gripped her wrist and collapsed back into the folds of her kimono, his breath puffing out in small, rapid clouds.

"Make haste young miko," Tsuki said, her voice carrying on the wind that never blew.


	19. Paradise Lost

**_Author's Note: As promised, the new chapter is up and Ch. 20 is in the works as I write. I hope there getting a little longer and better, and if there's anything you guys would like to see happen or if there's anything you're lost on, just give me a shout out review and I'll get back to you ASAP. So, here's Ch. 19, ENJOY!!_**

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**_Paradise Lost_**

**Ch. 19**

"Where are we?" Miroku asked as he looked around at his new surroundings, even though there wasn't much to look at it. The world they had stepped into was one of perpetual twilight and the ground seemed to be nothing more than a thick, gray mist that entwined itself lazily within their legs. There was no air to speak of; no breeze or wind to stir the mist that came to his knees, not even his breath seemed to venture further than his mouth. There wasn't even any smells, it was as if the entire world was asleep; nothing stirred or moved except the mist, but not even that moved much.

"We are in the spirit realm between the earth and the heavens. It's kinda like a purgatory," she said as she scanned the never ending, flat landscape for a sign of anything. She frowned heavily and then walked away hurriedly, leaving Miroku standing alone for a few seconds before he realized that she had left his side. His heart stopped in his chest and tried to climb out of his mouth. Swallowing hard, he immediately ran to her side and slammed his hand over hers, nearly knocking her over. He was breathing heavily as adrenaline pumped through his veins and he looked up at her stunned face angrily.

"What the fuck Kagome?! My Wind Tunnel is still open and you just walked away!" he said as he stood up. He was glaring at her and she just raised her eyebrows with a half-grin on her face. She bit her tongue to suppress a laugh before she patted him on the shoulder and proceeded to pry his fingers from her hand. He grabbed her wrist to stop her and she looked up at him, annoyance playing in her glowing eyes. She sighed heavily and shook her head; her jaw was working as she tried to calm herself. They were close, but if Miroku didn't stop being so damned clingy then she would have to resort to drastic measures, an idea she didn't half mind.

"Listen you damned houshi, let me go. Your wind tunnel is useless here so please, let go of _**BOTH**_ my hands or I will hit you," she said, her voice low and full of warning. She looked straight into his eyes and saw that he wasn't going to let her go or even grace her with an answer. Instead, he just stared straight at her, his eyes burning with a fierce stubbornness and suspicion. She cracked her neck side to side and looked down at the ground, her long, silver hair falling around her face in the process. If she could have clenched her fists she would have, so she just dug her talons into the houshi's palm, though he seemed to not notice.

"Look, I'm not letting you go so lets just do what we came here to do and…" he began but was stopped short as Kagome's forehead cam in contact with his face, sending a sudden, intense burst of pain through him. He threw his hands up to his face, expecting a torrent of blood from his obliterated nose, but instead there was nothing. Not a drop of blood and even the pain had begun to dull drastically. He looked through his hands at Kagome who was already well ahead of him and cursed heavily.

"Wait up damnit! Why'd you head butt me?" he said as he trotted next to her. She looked over at him, her eye's heavy with worry and irritation. She turned her head away from him and just stared straight ahead, trying to ignore him. He rolled his eyes and thought about grabbing her arm, but thought better of it; after her head butt he decided it wasn't worth the risk of severe bodily injury. Instead, he continued to trot next to her, easily keeping pace with the fast moving girl next to him. Taking in a deep breath from the air that didn't seem to exist, he decided to gingerly, almost hesitantly, to ask her one more question.

"Um, Kagome, could you at least tell me what we're doing here?" he asked timidly. He could almost feel her roll her eyes, but to his surprise, she answered.

"We're here to get InuYasha. Naraku made to attack him back at your place and Tsuki brought him here. He's dying though; this world was not meant for the true living. You and I have a connection because of our near deaths, but InuYasha has never had that connection and being here is bringing him closer to becoming a permanent residence," she said as she continued to walk at a distracted pace, but Miroku stopped suddenly.

"He was there? What if he decides to attack Sango and your mother while were here?" he said, anxiety beginning to replace the curious calm of his usual tone. Though she did not stop walking, she slowed her pace considerably and turned her head to the side to view him better. She saw that his face was drawn with the type of worry and anxiety that filled her.

"Taiyo will be watching over them. I also gave my mother some of my power when I marked her. They are not helpless Miroku. Now come, he is close," she said as she turned her head back and picked up her pace again. He ran up to her and nodded; she saw that he understood and it made her heart less heavy than it had been for quite some time.

* * *

When InuYasha awoke again, he was no longer within the arms of Tsuki, but instead he was lying against the Goshinboku tree in his forest. It had been 5 lifetimes since he had been back home and this sudden change in location brought about feelings of deep suspicion, but also of a sort of home sickness. A gentle breeze carried the familiar scents of the blooming spring and his sensitive ears picked up the sounds of young hatchlings crying for food and warmth from their mother's bosom. Sitting up, he noticed that he was shirtless and that his fire-rat robes had been replaced by a white waist wrap adorned with black and gold vines of thread that wound around his hips to his feet; that is when he saw that the ground was nothing more than a white mist, much like the mist that he had been lying in just minutes earlier. His heart seemed to slow to a stop inside his bare chest as his mind raced through the few possibilities that presented a logical explanation to his current situation; there was but one that he truly knew was the reason.

"I'm dead," he said aloud, his voice carrying on the phantom winds of his paradise. Desperation and overwhelming regret filled him and all that was left to feel was anger. His breath came in shallow pants as his anger filled him, surpassing all else in his mind; internal agony drowned his senses and he became lost in his rage. He howled deeply; pain filled the night as his anguish clouded the moon, casting his world into a darkness that he felt within his freed soul. The peaceful night became filled with the sounds of crashing trees and cries of grief that echoed on the trunks of his eternal forest, scarring the bark deeply.

"InuYasha, you disgrace yourself greatly," came a voice from within the shadows of the trees. He turned his head sharply, peering hard into the moving shade. A pair of beautiful tawny eyes that matched his appeared on the dusky edge of the tree line. InuYasha froze; how familiar they were. Stepping out into the only lighted area in which the hanyuo stood, the body that came with the eyes became known. A tall inuyoukia with a matching waist wrap stood before him; his hair was white and flowing, and his strong face and hard features became all too familiar to InuYasha.

"Father," he whispered, for his voice had lost all its strength. Falling to his knees in front of his lost father, all he could do was stare up at the man who had died protecting him and his mortal mother. The bright, hard eyes of InuTaisho looked back down at his son who was knelt at his feet; there was little emotion in the eyes of the once great InuYoukia Lord, only the light from the perpetual moonlight shone in the glossy surfaces.

"Rise from you knees boy. No son of mine will ever kneel for anyone, not even his own father," InuTaishou said as he extended a strong, calloused hand towards his son. InuYasha took it without hesitation and stood face to face with a ghost of his past; a ghost he knew nothing about. His father stood stoic before him and he stood before his father; replicas of one another from past and now, surveying the other for subtle answers to many questions.

"Why are you here," InuYasha said, his voice returning to its normal strength and arrogance. InuTaishou smirked and folded his lean, strong arms across his bare chest; a laugh rumbled in his broad chest and InuYasha scowled deeply, not seeing what was so damned funny.

"I think I should be asking you that very same question. You are, after all, in my paradise," InuTaishou said, raising an eyebrow at his son. InuYasha cocked his head to the right slightly, now more confused than angry. InuTaishou saw this and let out a hardy laugh as he shook his head; his full, white hair swished around his shoulders and InuYasha was mildly jealous about how tame his hair was. Only with the Kakusu Seishin could he really do much with his tangled mane; he remembered how Kagome would try in vain to brush it and always wind up breaking her brushes. At the thought of Kagome, he became rigid as the pain flooded his wounded soul again. InuTaishou sensed the change in his son and became solemn, channeling his sons pain; a pain that was all too familiar to him. He sighed a heavy sigh as he reached out and took a firm hold of his sons shoulder; InuYasha clenched his jaw as he felt a rush of emotion flood him. How long he had waited to meet his father, but he had no way to know that he would leave behind something that meant so much more to him than his own blood.

"InuYasha, I know Naraku is back and I also know that you can never defeat him as the hanyuo you are now," InuTaishou said. InuYasha snarled and tore his fathers hand from his shoulder; InuTaisho didn't seemed surprised for he knew that InuYasha was always haunted by the notion that he was partly human. He may have loved his mother more than InuTaishou could ever have, but the fact that he was weaker than his father and his half brother always left a dark hole in him.

"I can change that, but you must let me help you. There isn't much time," InuTaishou said, emotion finally seeping into his golden eyes. InuYasha saw the anxiety in his dead fathers' bright eyes and knew that if he was to trust anyone, it would have to be InuTaishou. He placed a hand on his fathers' muscular shoulder and nodded, squeezing tightly as he did. InuTaisho nodded once in return and took a firm hold of his sons' wrists; both inuyoukia looked into each others eyes and as InuYasha took a deep breath in, InuTaishou pierced the skin of his sons' wrists with his claws. InuYasha saw his blood slide down his arms, but it never dripped off; it instead made long, crimson streaks across his arms that wound their way up and across his chest. As it came to his neck, the streaks shot across his face into his eyes, and he screamed; it was a scream of extreme agony that silenced all other life in the forest of his father's paradise. His body writhed in his father's iron grasp as the streaks of his blood pierced his body in more places than he knew existed; it felt as if a thousand blue suns were burying themselves within him and at that moment he wished he had really died. The streaks of red fire pierced his lungs and all his breath left him; he gasped for the dead air that could no longer fill his living lungs and the world before him began to fade.

"You must be strong my son for I have given you all that is me. Now you know what you must do," InuTaishou said as he faded from his sons' view. InuYasha fell to his knees as liquid fire filled his lungs; steam arose from his skin as his body seemed to evaporate before his eyes.

"InuYasha?! InuYasha please come back!" Kagome's voice shouted to him from within the hot mist that was becoming him. He looked into the steam cloud that had formed around him and he saw her face in it. Her large, brown eyes hovered above him and her long, silky ebony hair brushed his face lightly; he reached up, but his long talons faded as he touched her face.

"Kagome," he said as he closed his eyes and fell back into the darkness around him.


	20. Reborn

_**Author's Note: Ok so here's Chapter 20. I was aiming to make it a bit longer, but I acutally started another short, one shot. I'm a Inu/Kag fanatic so ofc its gunna be about them two. But enough of that, here's Chapter 20. ENJOY!!! Oh, and I do not own InuYasha or any InuYasha related characters. **_____

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_**Burning**_

**Ch. 20**

Such darkness like he had never experienced before surrounded him, clawing at his burning skin with its jagged edges. As he fell, the gloom tore at him, opening his skin which bled such beautiful white light, causing the darkness to shrink away from him more and more. The tears in his blazing skin widened and split, ripping the hide from his brutalized body, leaving only a blindingly white outline of the hanyuo; he could feel the darkness dissipate and the light that he was warmed him and filled him with such power, the likes of which he had never felt before.

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"InuYasha, can you hear me? Come back please!" Kagome's voice said as it infiltrated the warmth that surrounded him. As her voice flooded his fluttering consciousness, the light grew brighter and wrapped around him, searing him as it wound tighter and tighter, becoming his new skin. He howled in suffering woe and his cries echoed off walls that could not be seen or felt; his back arched as his light grew tight to the point where their suffocating bands burst off, bringing him to full awareness.

"InuYasha, can you hear me? Come back please!" Kagome said with tears shining in her large brown eyes. She was kneeling outside the tub where InuYasha's body was submerged. Steam rose from the water as his glacial body slowly thawed in the scalding tub of water Sango had filled, and Kagome could feel the overflowing water burn the skin of her hands, knees, and any other part of her that came in contact with the unforgiving, hot water. Sango, Miroku and her mother had left after she had begged them to leave her and her hanyuo alone; she knew they thought that they had gotten to him too late, but she new better. He was her half-breed, the only thing that had gotten her through her turbulent lives, and he was the only person that could give her the strength to defend her and the rest of them from the evils of this world. He had waited many lifetimes to see her again, and she knew he would not let Naraku win and leave her alone to face him solo.

"InuYasha, my _koibito_, please come back to me," she said as she reached a hand into the water and caressed his face. Tears fell from her eyes, hitting its gently rippling surface as she traced his resting features with the tips of her fingers. As the first tears hit, InuYasha's eyes shot open; they were a blood red with the all too familiar blue pupil slits. They looked up at her, and before she had time to react, he had grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the tub with him; her body hit the water with a loud _**SPLASH**_ and the heat from the water caressed the bare skin of her arms and thighs. His strong arms wrapped around her thin, nimble figure and embraced her tightly, nearly squeezing out all of the air she had managed to inhale before he had submerged her in the bath with him; she had expected her lungs to scream for air, but she felt no burning urge or overwhelming need to breathe. She turned her brown eyes towards his and she saw his beautiful face framed by his long, silky white hair; that same beautiful face she had dreamt about on so many nights was no longer the same. It was instead the face of the InuYasha who knew nothing but death and destruction, a face she knew all to well; the same red and blue eyes that reflected back hate for everything that lived, and the pair of purple stripes that ran across each cheek which showed his relation to the great InuTaishou. There was something knew though, something she had never seen on before save on Sesshomaru; upon his forehead were an almost interlocking pair of golden, crescent moons. Her eyes traced the new features of his face and when she met his eyes again, she was no longer afraid; his eyes searched hers slowly, and when he saw no more fear in them, he brought a long clawed hand to the back of her head and gently pushed it down until their lips met. She savored their wet warmth and the feel of his sharp, longer canines against her tongue as she ran it across their deadly tips. He too relished in her sweet taste and pulled her into a deeper kiss that filled him with a kind of passion that was nearly beyond his understanding. As they kissed underneath their watery blanket, steam began to rise from the surface of the tub rapidly. Soon, the entire room was filled with the suffocating, warm steam that enveloped the two in its tepid grip

"I love you, InuYasha," Kagome whispered against his lips. She felt him smile softly against her lips, nipping her bottom lip gently as he did. He kissed her forehead gently, savoring the salty, sweet taste of her skin as his lips brushed against her.

"I know, I've always known," he whispered against the smooth, flawless skin of her forehead. She pulled away and looked back into the eyes which once meant much death and pain; now they held love and mystery in their glowing surfaces.

"He is a full youkia now. His father has bestowed his strength and blood upon him; he is now the most powerful living being on this earth, both feudal and present, but he must learn," Taiyo said softly to Kagome as the young girl gazed into the eyes of her beloved. His eyes were more piercing and she could feel the new, ancient strength that flowed through his veins; he brushed a wayward strand of ebony hair from her ivory face, his long talons brushing her face oh so gently, causing shivers to pass through her. His touch was more intoxicating than before and his presence was so strong and dominating that she had the urge to give in to his every will.

"Just like old times," he said softly, a playful grin spreading across his stunning face. She giggled in returned and placed another kiss on his soft lips.

"Not quite my dear, not quite," she said, remembering what Miroku had said to her. His smile faltered only the slightest bit before his eyes softened and he caressed her face, running his claws over her cheeks and down her neck.

"Good. Before I was confused and cruel to you; now I can show you what I was afraid to feel back before you left. I was a fool and I almost lost you once. I love you Kagome; now and until this world ends, I will love you," he said, searching her eyes for a hint to what she felt in return. She had waited so long to hear him say these words, and know that she had, she felt complete. She leaned in and kissed him with the type of passion she had only shown him in her dreams. Breaking from each other, Kagome looked down at the hanyuo beneath her and smiled brightly. She sat up and broke the surface of the cooling water, taking a deep breath as she did; straddling his waist she finally realized how soaking wet she was. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she nimbly emerged from the tub and began to try and peel the wet cloth from her equally wet skin. Sighing heavily, she grabbed her long, thick hair and wrung it out, sending a small waterfall of water cascading onto the already soaked floor. InuYasha watched her try to dry herself off with some of the towels that hung on the silver towel rack next to the tub; he choked back laughter as she dropped soaked towel after soaked towel at her feet.

"Come on, get out of the tub. We have to get changed," she huffed as she stood outside of the tub, looking down at the equally soaked hanyuo. He sighed with a smile and sat up slowly, stretching as he did, only to notice that his clothes were, at least at one time, as tight as Kagome's were. His pants had ripped up the inner thigh seams and his boxer briefs had suffered the same fate, barely covering his man hood. His shirt had also ripped, and the only part of it that was still in one piece was the collar, which was actually strangling him just a bit. He grabbed the shirt collar and tore it off as easily as he would have taken the wrapper off of a candy bar. Kagome looked down at him and she immediately turned a cherry red as she noticed how bare he was, especially from the waist down. He looked up at her, back down at himself, then back at her; he stood up quickly, covering his crotch with the tattered remains of his shirt, averting eye contact with her. She bit her tongue, trying to resist the urge to laugh until she cried; he saw the pent up tears in her eyes and huffed, rolling his eyes.

"Pass me a towel and then turn your back," he said, reaching out a hand towards her, awaiting the towel. She bent down, picked up a soaking wet towel and dropped it in his hand. He stood there, towel and tattered shirt in hand; he had one of his snow white eyebrows raised, apparently waiting for her to do something. He sighed, shook his head, and did the twirling finger motion for her to turn around; Kagome blushed heavily as she spun around, crossing her arms against her breasts tightly, embarrassment swelling in her chest. She heard the ripping of the rest of his pants as he took them off and then the heavy, barely audible splash they made as he dropped them. She had the irresistible urge to sneak a peak at he new youkia behind her; _**her**_ youkia. Turning her head ever so slightly, she caught of glimpse of his bare backside and her heart stopped; his muscular, yet toned back was tattooed with the same purple stripes that adorned his face. The stripes ran across each rib and met each other at his spine where they spiraled up and broke off at his neck, disappearing behind each ear. She watched him tighten the drenched towel around his waist and as he made to turn towards her, she quickly repositioned her head so that she was facing the dripping white walls of the bathroom. Her cheeks were burning with excitement and a rush of fear, for she knew what she did was wrong, but not caring if it was.

"I told you no peaking," he whispered into her ear. She jumped slightly for she had not heard him walk towards her. She blushed even harder and brushed errant strands of hair from her face, watching him shyly from behind her back veil. He brushed by her and stood by the door, his hand already on the shinning, gold knob. She quietly walked up next to him and stood by his side, trying to avoid making eye contact with him; he grinned slyly at seeing how embarrassed she was at him knowing she had snuck a peek. He kissed the hollow of her temple lightly before he made to open the bathroom door; as fast as she could comprehend though, his hand came off of the knob and was around her middle. He pressed her up against the wall, using his body to shield her from the splinters of the door as it was annihilated on its hinges.

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Wood splinters fluttered and landed in Kagome's silk tresses as she was engulfed in the disturbed steam that filled the bathroom. The sounds of growls, howls, and yelps filled her ears and caused her heart to pound relentlessly against her ribs. She clenched her eyes shut and huddled in the corner, trying to stay out of the way; just like old times. It wasn't like old times though, she thought as she remembered the intimate conversation she and InuYasha had just had. She had the power to help now and she knew it was about time to let everyone know; she rose to her feet and closed her eyes, summoning the power she felt deep in her soul to aide her now. She felt it swell in her chest and fill her lungs, begging to be set free; it made her lungs hurt and her heart beat fast, like the hoof beats of a thousand demons running away from the fires of hell as it licked at their thick hides. The steam began to be drawn towards her as she slowly began to pulsate with power; a silver aura surrounded her and she closed her eyes as her power thrummed around her. She felt her anger build in her as the irate snaps and viscous growls blended with the calm of her silver ambiance; enough was enough, no bled would be shed at her feet unless she was the one making it flow.

"Stop this and stop it now!" she yelled, her eyes springing open, revealing the intense platinum glow of her eyes. She released the pent up power within her, sending the mist that had completely engulfed her shooting away from her in a type of waterless tsunami wave. She heard the surprised yelps and thuds of InuYasha and his opponent as they were forcefully knocked off their feet as the vapor wave hit them full force. Breathing heavily as her anger began to slowly be replaced by shots of adrenaline that were being released into her blood. She walked over to where InuYasha lay on his back, staring up at the dry ceiling with dazed eyes. His towel had come askew and although she felt her cheeks burn and her body grow rigid, with a sweep of her hand, the towel repositioned itself to cover his exposed self; she then turned her head slightly and looked down at the wolf demon laying face down, a moan escaping him as he lifted his head weakly. He looked up at her and smiled weakly, but apologetically; she rolled her eyes as she stepped over his body and out of the bathroom.

"Hurry up you two demonic idiots, we have too much to do as it is," Kagome called to them, her voice carrying as if there was a breeze to carry it to them with such beautiful clarity. InuYasha groaned as he sat up, holding both the back of his head and towel as he did. He looked over at Kouga as the wolf prince rolled onto his back labouredly, and then pushed himself up onto his elbows, sighing deeply as he did. He opened his eyes and rolled them to his left so that he was staring at InuYasha.

"What?" InuYasha said coarsely, not meeting eye contact with his rival male. Kouga huffed in a bit of laughter and stood up, cracking his back sharply and loudly. InuYasha glared up at him, but Kouga was paying no attention to him as he brushed off his baggy, rubbed out blue jeans and black, zip up skeleton hoodie.

"Look on the bright side InuYasha-sama. Not only are you full demon, courtesy of your long dead father, but even better; you're dry!" Kouga said cheerily as he walked out of the bathroom, limping slightly. InuYasha grumbled curses under his breath as he stood up, listening to his joints cry out in protest. Fastening the towel tightly against his waist, the new taiyouki walked out of the glistening, steam dried bathroom with curses on his tongue and a glint of curiosity in his far seeing eyes.


	21. Candel Light Rendezvous

_**Author's Note: Finally, another chapter done and up. Warning though: this chapter is HIGHLY sexual and HIGHLY graphic in the same , I do hope you enjoy it and I'm hoping to kick it into high gear and have the next chapter htit he ground running and up before August. Enjoy!**_

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**_Candel Light Rendevous_**

_**Ch. 21**_

Sango, Miroku and Kun-Loon were all in the front room, whispering in hushed breaths about what was and what was still to come when Kagome entered, still slightly irate about Kouga's brash entrance. The room became as silent as battle grounds haunted by the silent souls of the brutalized dead as they finally noticed her standing in the darkened hallway; her brown eyes, which still held veins of silver, scanned the room and soon fell upon the wide and scared eyes of her best friend from these times. Ely looked up at her friend, eyes full of fresh tears and even fresher fear that came rolling off of her like waves after a fierce storm. This was all new to the poor human girl, and Kagome cursed herself for not begin able to be the one who told her, but she supposed that it was best that Kouga did considering that he was a full youkia and had always been one, while she on the other hand, had been human just like her - as far as she had known - just a day or so ago; a rather special human, but human non the less.

"Elyssa, I'm sorry you had to be dragged into this. It isn't your fight," Kagome said as she sat down next to her friend. Ely looked at her with wide eyes shimmering with fresh tears and fear. As Kagome went to place a slender hand on her shoulder, Ely pulled away, ever so slightly; seeing this, Kagome paused her hand in mid air and dropped it back into her lap were it entwined itself into the fingers of her other hand. Her heart beat out rhythms of pain as she turned her head away from Ely and looked straight at Kouga, who was hidden in the shadows of the hall. She saw hurt and anger in her slightly glowing ginger eyes; Kouga felt her gaze and met it, but turned away abruptly and disappeared into the dark.

"Mother, Sango, Miroku, could you all do me a favor? Could you take InuYasha and find him some decent clothes to wear, please?" Kagome cooed. They all nodded and escorted the more than half naked youkia from the living room. Kagome could hear him protesting, saying that he had enough on and that they were just all jealous; a loud smack silenced him as she heard her mothers' voice scold him for being such a pompous fool. If he had grabbed a normal towel, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, but he had put on a hand towel instead. The sounds of laughter, grumbles, and huffs soon dissipated and Kagome settled her gaze on the stone silent girl seated next to her. She saw that fresh tears had fallen and that her eyes were seemingly redder than InuYasha's. Kagome shook her head slightly and sighed; now was not the time for gentle words and soft touches.

"Stop your crying, you have nothing to cry about," Kagome said harshly, breaking the tense silence between them. Ely's eyes snapped open wider than Kagome thought possible as she stared at her, shell shocked at the words that had just escaped her lips. Anger now burned in her glistening, swollen eyes, and Kagome knew that she making much progress; sadness was an emotion that must be saved until it was absolutely necessary, and was not to be wasted on trivial occurrences like this one.

"What do you mean I shouldn't be crying? I just found out that all of the people in my life are fucking demons and what other weird shit! Do you know what it's like to have the man you love come over to your house and confess that he's a wolf demon prince that's over 500 years old? It's a bit fucking shocking to say the least," Ely spat, her hands now knotted into tight fists. Kagome looked over at her friend and Ely saw that her eyes were narrowed in annoyance and a bit of anger; their usual clam surfaces now seemed to be burning with a hot blue flame that was draped in silver.

"Do I know what its like? _**Really**_? No, I don't just know what it's like; _**I've lived**_ what it's like. Back in Japan, I fell into the shrine well in my backyard which sent me back to the Sengoku era of Japan. There I found out that I carried a jewel _**in me**_ that was sought by both demons and humans alike; all of whom were willing to kill, no obliterate everything for it. On top of that, I released a half demon, InuYasha, who intimately knew the woman whose reincarnation I am, who, by the way, stole half of my soul so that she could live again. Oh, _**and on top of that**_, my best friends were a demon slayer, Sango; a cursed monk, Miroku; a fox kit named Shippo; Kaede, the sister of my reincarnation; a wolf prince who wanted to make me his mate, Kouga; and a demon flea named Myoga who all traveled with me trying to find the pieces of this jewel after I shot an arrow into it, shattering it. Then, _**to top it all off**_, the half demon who is after us right now is the same hanyuo who was insistent on trying to kill us back in the feudal era and pretty much succeeded until the jewel saved my life and sent my back here, to my, _**our**_, time. So, any questions my dear friend?" Kagome said as she finished the shortened version of her life story. Ely shook her head no slowly, her eyes still wide, but completely dry now. Kagome smirked sourly and nodded once and made to of get off the couch, but was stopped by the arms of Ely engulfing her tightly.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have been so selfish. I had no idea though, and to think that I told Kouga to stay away from me, and rather harshly, too," Ely said as she unwrapped her arms from around Kagome's neck. Kagome genuinely smiled and placed a soft hand on hers; her piercing silvery brown eyes bore into Ely and she had the strong urge to avert her gaze, but forced herself to maintain eye contact. Ely had always been a fast learner and quick to catch and move on; as the momentary shock passed, she had already willingly accepted her position in the current situation and was ready to continue on. Kagome was glad she had made a friend like Ely, and not one who would have shut down completely and had to be carted off by the crazy police. The mental image of Ely wrapped up in a straight jacket in the back of a padded ambulance made Kagome suppress a slight giggle as she brightened the smile directed at the human girl.

"You're forgiven silly, I just had to be harsh to make sure the reality check set in; and perhaps you should go to Kouga. He loves you, and believe me, _**I know**_. I was the object of his intense obsession for the better half of almost 4 years. I know when he's set on someone and he's dead set on you love. He loves you more than he ever loved me, so go to him. Don't break his heart; don't break yours," and with that, Kagome rose and seemed to float across the hardwood and disappear into the darkened hallway behind them.

Ely looked down at her hands as she wrung them together, trying to think of a way to apologize to Kouga, and to make sure he knew she meant it. She let out an embellished sigh and closed her eyes, placing her head against the back of the couch heavily. Her thoughts raced in every which direction, but always came back to the rugged, handsome face of her demon prince; how odd, but how right it sounded.

_**Her**_ _**demon prince**_; she smiled as she opened her eyes, but her smile faltered as she felt a pair of eyes on her. She shifted her gaze towards the hallway were InuYasha and the rest of the gang had disappeared down earlier, and there in the darkness, a pair of light brown eyes watched her; her heart did a summersault in her chest as she looked deep into the glowing orbs of her Kouga. Seeing that she had noticed him watching her, he made to turn away, but a hand grabbing for his in the dark stopped him. He turned and saw that she had risen from the couch and had sprinted to his side where she now clung to him desperately. He could smell freshly fallen rain, her own special scent, as he buried his face into her hair. His anger and sadness melted away as her lips met his and her apology, whispered against his parted lips, was brushed aside.

"Don't be sorry my princess. I should have told the truth sooner. Lying to you was never a good way to say I love you," he whispered into her ear as she clung tighter to him, his words sending shivers down her entire body. She smiled slightly and looked up and into his eyes; eyes were she could loose herself in deep tan seas and never have to worry about drowning. He searched her eyes and saw that they held a smile, a dangerously mischievous smile. He cocked his head slightly in question, but her lips on his, her tongue entwining with his, her body nearly melting into his and the hand now sneaking into his pants, answered the question he could no longer remember; his thoughts were now drowned in an ocean of hormonal and animalistic desires. He picked her up bridal style, kicked open the nearest bedroom door and slammed it shut behind them; a small giggle type moan followed by a loud growling moan echoed softly off of the quiet that draped the still, sleeping house.

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InuYasha sat on Kagome's bed, quietly surveying his new physique in the mirror that stood atop her dresser. He smiled smugly to himself as he traced the new lineage stripes that ran across his face as well as from each finger up his arm to his collar bones, where they disappeared behind his neck. His gaze was diverted though, as he saw a small piece of familiar jewelry that lay next to a face down picture frame. He stood up and walked over to her dresser and picked up the gold locket that lay on its old, unpolished wood surface; he opened it gently and gazed at the face of the one woman who had completed him in more ways than he could ever have known. It had taken quiet some time to realize it, but in the end, he had and he was glad he did; a small grin broke the surface of his stoic expression and for a moment, he looked like the old InuYasha. He closed the locket and placed it back around his neck, hiding it once again under the black wife beater Kun-Loon had dug out from the box of Kagome's father's clothes. He looked back down at the dresser and curiously studied the face down frame that lay haphazardly on the dresser top; an uneasy feeling stole over him, and his muscles went tense, as if preparing for a fight. He snorted slightly as he went for it, but as his hand brushed the surface of the desk, he felt glass shards cut the side of his hand; he pulled his hand up slowly and saw the blood drip onto a large piece of jagged glass that lay next to the frame. It dripped down the smooth surface and onto the carpeted floor, landing on a smaller shard that lay in a pile of pulverized glass at his feet. He growled deeply and turned the frame face up; a snarl broke the surface of his lips as he saw that the picture of him and Kagome standing in front the Well of Souls, had been smashed and clawed.

A dark aura filled the space around him, slowly choking off the candle light, throwing the room into an unnatural, deep darkness. He knew that he was no longer alone in the room as a bone cold chill filled the suffocating murk; a lone, pale hand shot out of the thick shadows, but InuYasha was faster. He easily dodged the hand and plunged a hand of his own into the shifting shade where he grabbed the thin neck of his assailant; he dug his talons into the fleshy meat of its neck and heard it hiss in pain and anger before a long tentacle like appendage slithered out of the darkness and wrapped around InuYasha's legs, knocking him off his feet with a heavy thud. He growled loudly in pure anger and reached down to slash away the thick, slimy black feeler before another one came shooting out of the thick gloom, wrapping around his wrists, hog tying him. A deep chuckle emanated from within the darkness as the dark poltergeist mist swirled violently around InuYasha, slashing him deeply and tearing his shirt to shreds under its steel tipped grasp; he made to swear and growl at the one controlling the dusky haze, but as he opened his mouth, the ink thick fog filled his mouth, choking off his air and filling his mind with a cold, blank darkness. He thrashed against the chill that invaded his mind and against the thick, muscular tentacles that slithered out of the dark, wrapping him tighter in their slimy hold. As the invading darkness filtered into his consciousness and shaded his memories in a black veil, his eyes began to burn a deep scarlet and the violet stripes that ran across his body began pulsating a deep, warm amethyst light, burning away the dark, soupy mist that filled his body and the limbs that were slowly draining the life from him. Standing and panting heavily, InuYasha stood slightly hunched, his breath coming in rapid pants and his eyes burning a bright, blood red that seemed to burn with the fires of hell itself. A violent, high pitched cry came from within the shuddering darkness and a creature that looked much like Naraku himself exploded from behind its foggy screen.

Its long black hair was like the mist itself, leaving behind a trail of smoke as it lunged at the inu youkia before it; its skin was like melting white wax, leaving a steaming trail of bubbling puddles behind him as he burst towards the waiting InuYasha; his long, thick black tentacles pushed him along at a speed that seemed impossible for their size; his eyes were bleeding a red liquid that striped his face and his mouth was tore open to his ears were it exposed several rows of pointed, black teeth that jutted out at odd angles. A wicked smile spread across InuYasha's face as his claws began to drip with a clear white liquid that burned black holes in the floor as it dripped from his extended talons; a low growl emanated from within his throat as a smell as revolting as rotting spider demon flesh filled his nostrils, fueling his rage even more. As the Naraku clone reached out towards InuYasha's exposed throat, two flashes of blindingly white light, threaded with equally bright violet light, filled the room as they crossed each other; the clone was illuminated and his shadow was thrown across the white walls of the room, burning itself into the paint and very structure of the house itself. Its deafening scream of rage and pain drowned out the sounds of the raging storm outside as well as InuYasha's own war cry as it was bloodlessly torn apart as the light engulfed it completely. The light that filled the room dissipated as quickly as it had been dispersed and all that was left was a panting figure cloaked in darkness, its carmine eyes and violet stripes still glowing, yet more dimly now.

"InuYasha," a soft voice spoke, breaking the preverbal silence that had settled with the darkness. The red eyes shot up and the violet striped fingers curled into tight fists as he looked up and it a pair of soft, argentate green eyes that were gazing at him nervously from the outline of the doorway. The intense glow from him finally subsided as Kagome walked over to his side, making not a sound as her bare feet glided across the scarred wood floor; she took his hand in hers, uncurling his fingers as she entwined them with hers. He looked down at her; his eyes were still glowing a deep ruby in the dark room, but it was no longer an angry glow, but instead it was the soft, normal glow of his eyes.

"Sorry about your room," he said softly, pulling her closer, relishing the heat of her skin against his which was coated in a thin sheen of cold sweat. The heat from her breath caressed his bare chest and the soft touch of her fingers against his skin calmed his anger to the point of extinction as he placed his face into her thick, ebony hair that was filled with her intoxicating jasmine scent, sending his senses into overdrive. He could feel her every curve, feel the heat from her skin and her every breath on every inch of his own skin, and he could hear her every heartbeat as clear as he could feel his own. She pulled her head away, leaving him dazed and still wanting more; looking up into his fiery eyes that provided the only light in the room, she smiled softly and snapped her fingers, sending the candles on her headboard and on the dresser into a flaming dance of light.

"Don't worry about it. I felt its presence and then I felt your aura, like, explode into awareness. I came as fast as I could, just in case," she said, a smile playing on her lips and a giggle lying just below the calm surface of her voice. He looked at the flickering candles and then back down at the woman before him; her face was a canvas of pure beauty and dancing shadows and at the sight of her, he gave up all control as he entwined his fingers into her hair and crashed his lips down onto hers. Her surprise was evident as she gasped lightly, allowing him just enough of a part to allow his tongue entrance; he grappled with her tongue as she moaned lightly into his mouth. She threw her thin, toned arms around his neck as he pushed her even closer by placing a hand on the curve of ass and squeezing, causing her lower body to press against his. His slightly opened eyes rolled back into his head as he felt her push into him, sending a jolt of pleasure beyond his comprehension, through his body, making his knees weak.

"InuYasha," she moaned against his lips. He pulled away, panting almost as heavily as he had when he had fought the Naraku clone just minutes earlier, and gazed down at the woman entwined within his arms. Her eyes were completely brown now; he couldn't sense the sisters and he knew that they had left them alone so that they could have the privacy they had never had before. His mind and body roared for him to take her and his grip tightened on her as he tried desperately to control himself. Sensing the change in him, she reached up, brushed a few strands of white from his face and then stroked his cheek. He placed his own, strong hand on hers and held it, still feeling her long fingers lingering on his burning skin; keeping the hand on his face, she began to kiss his chest lightly, her lips tingling at his taste and his skin burning in desire after every quick, moist kiss. He began to breathe heavier and soon he had to stop her; grabbing her chin lightly, he lifted her head and looked straight into her eyes which held question, beauty, and desire.

"I can't control myself much longer Kagome," he panted. She lifted a finger to his lips and pressed it there as she simultaneously pulled away from his grasp. She stood in front of him a few inches, and she could feel his eyes scanning her curved and young body hungrily, fighting to control himself.

"Then don't," she whispered as she unbuttoned her shirt and slid if off, exposing her bare breasts that were barely covered by her black silk tresses. He let go of all control and pulled her close once again, allowing himself to feel the soft skin of her breasts against his chest. As he once again explored her mouth, he brought a hand up and began to grope her breast, savoring the deep moan that echoed in is mouth and the feel of the soft, supple skin under his fingers. He hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he placed her breast in his mouth; she moaned louder as she pushed his head harder against her breast.

Kagome soon found herself on the cool hardwood with InuYasha above her, his eyes glowing intensely, even in the candle lit room, not sure of what to do next. She placed a hand behind his head, threading her fingers through his silky hair and brought his ear down to her mouth where she whispered words meant for only his ears. She heard and felt a deep rumble in his chest as he brought his body and lips down onto her as she unzipped her skirt; impatient as ever, InuYasha instead grabbed a hold of the green fabric and practically tore it off of her, leaving her completely exposed. He unzipped his pants as she raised her legs and pressed her knees against his hips, allowing him to feel the warmth coming from her. H growled deeply as he ran a hand along the inside of her thigh, but stopped abruptly as a voice broke down the hot and heavy atmosphere of the room.

"It is time to go," Sesshomaru said as he stood in the doorway, looking down at the bare Kagome and shirtless InuYasha who hovered above her. Kagome squealed and pulled InuYasha heavily down onto her, covering her bare form as best she could. InuYasha growled at his intrusive brother as he wrapped a protective arm around Kagome.

"Can't you see were a bit busy here Sesshomaru?" InuYasha snapped. Sesshomaru's gaze remained on the two, but his expression remained the same stoic, bored one the two knew all to well.

"It is not safe here anymore. We must go back to Japan. It is time to go," he said again before disappearing into the darkened hallway which was beginning to be painted with early morning orange light. InuYasha dropped his head, covering Kagome's face in his soft, white hair. It tickled her face and she giggled and sneezed simultaneously. InuYasha looked down at her and tried to force a smile which caused a true one to break the blushing face of the woman beneath him. She raised her head and kissed his lips gently.

"Don't worry InuYasha, we'll finish this soon, I promise," she said. She saw how he looked at her, his eyebrow raised, a half smirk playing on his lips. She rolled her eyes and he huffed, kissing her deeply one more time before he rose to meet the sun of a new day.


	22. Past Faces in Present Places

_**Author's Note: Got a new chapter up, it didn't take long at all! LOL, so here's Chapter 22. The stories picking up and *SPOILER ALERT* I'm thinking about a little character death in a upcoming chapter...^-^**_

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_**Past Faces in Present Places**_

_**Ch. 22**_

Standing in a corner of the front room, InuYasha impatiently waited to hear what Sesshomaru had to say that was apparently important enough to interrupt him and Kagome. Kouga and Ely sat on the couch snuggled in each others arms; InuYasha rolled his eyes, jealousy leaking into him slowly. First he had to fight the damned wolf for Kagome, and now he had beaten him to the mating punch. Shaking his head, the inu youkia crossed his arms and waited in his usual impatient manner with Kagome at his side, her usual calm aura soaking his own. He looked down at the young woman, still filled with mystery deep enough to drown in, and sighed heavily, knowing he would eventually have to give in to her calm demeanor. She looked up at him and flashed him a knowing smile, which both annoyed him and made him smile shyly. Looking away from her fast enough to ensure that she wouldn't see the smile playing on his lips, InuYasha looked over at his half brother and waited.

Sesshomaru stood before everyone, his usual stoic expression laced with a sense of urgency that they all had only seen once before; before the battle with Naraku as he was talking to Jakken, telling him to take Rin as far from them as he could, as fast he could. It was Miroku who finally broke the silence that had been the only sound the entire house had heard the entire night.

"What is so urgent to bring you back here at such an odd hour Sesshomaru?" Miroku said, his deep mauve eyes burning with curiosity and a hint of his impatience. He was ready for action and his every muscle and joint ached for the feel of battle and his skin burned for the feel of demon blood as it was sprayed across him in the heat of battle. Sesshomaru looked over at the monk without moving his head and the monk fell silent as the young inu youkia prince walked over to his younger brother. InuYasha grew stiff as his brother stood before him, silent and expressionless. The two brothers met each others gazes; honey on crimson, two faces that reflected back the features of the same powerful King, the same lineage and combined power that could destroy each other and the world with them.

"Brother," Sesshomaru said his voice low, but strong. Placing a hand on his younger brother's face, Sesshomaru awaited InuYasha's answer. InuYasha's eyes widened in momentary shock, but he soon understood and closed his eyes to gather himself. He stood tall, strong and stoic as his eldest brother and stared into the eyes that once held hate, loathing, and death.

"Brother," InuYasha echoed, his voice low, strong, and as stoic as Sesshomaru's. Placing his own clawed hand on his brothers' face, the two brothers faced each other, embraced by one another in a gesture of respect and recognition. Sesshomaru dropped his hand and walked back to the front of the group, leaving him and his brother to be stared at like they had just confessed their undying love for each other.

"Naraku has grown to bold to stay here. He has attacked InuYasha twice, this Sesshomaru once, and who he will be going after next, not even this Sesshomaru knows. We must go back home, today," he said, looking over at InuYasha and Kagome. Both looked up at each other and nodded before Kagome stood and walked up to Sesshomaru's side, never making eye contact with him.

"He's right; it's too dangerous to be here. We need to bring the group back together. Kaede, Myoga, Shippo, everyone needs to be warned, if it's not too late to do so already," she said. A soft murmur floated above the little group gathered in front of her.

"She's right," Tsuki's voice said from her place in the hall mirror. Everyone's gaze turned towards her and her sister, and waited. The elder Moon Goddess looked onto the faces of the group before her and she knew they were ready to fight; that they were thirsty for his blood and she knew they all weren't going to make it out of this fight alive and that they knew it too.

"When do we leave and how are we going to get there without the damned spider knowing where we're going?" Sango asked, and a high murmur of excited voices filled the air, and it was like music to Tsuki's ears as she joined in on the growing excitement, ignoring the demoness beside her.

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Taiyo stood beside her sister, her gaze as icy and strong as usual; she was as hard to read as Sesshomaru, and as beautiful. She turned her silvery blue gaze onto the tall inu prince and he met her gaze; a light blush colored the pale porcelain skin of the Sun Goddess as his gilded eyes bore into her, and, as Kagome watched the scene out of the corner of her eyes, she saw something that she hardly believed even though she was seeing it. As Sesshomaru met the gaze of the silently beautiful Sun Goddess, his hard, honey eyes softened and a blush colored his equally fair skin. The two most powerful, stoic demons in the known world were blushing at each other. Kagome thought she was hallucinating, but, sensing her gaze, Sesshomaru abruptly turned his gaze towards hers, the blush that powdered his high cheek bones still slightly visible. His gaze narrowed and she turned away quickly, but could still feel his strong eyes boring into the back of her head. The noise level of the room soon reached annoying levels and InuYasha growled as a headache began to form behind his eyes as the voices of the room began to jumble together and drown out his thoughts.

"Everyone be silent," Taiyo's voice said, echoing off the walls and resounding in the large room. A quick hush fell over the room and all eyes turned towards the Sun Goddess, including her sisters. Knowing she had everyone's attention, the demoness raised one of her arms and with one swift sweep of her arm, the misty, silvery image behind her shifted, melted together and soon molded itself into Kagome's old bedroom back in Japan. Kagome was on her feet, gloved hand throbbing, as soon as Taiyo began to make the scene shift; her heart began to beat in her throat and tears stung her eyes as soon as she saw her old room and how her grandfather hadn't changed a thing since her mother and her departure. Tsuki smiled, but her smile faltered as Taiyo feel into her arms heavily. Sesshomaru grabbed one side of the wooden frame and his eyes flashed again, the same look he had given her earlier; it shone brighter and was laced with un kept worry before he internally gathered himself and looked on, his face and eyes once again that of beautiful stone.

"Taiyo!" Kagome cried as she launched herself over the couch and nearly crash landed in the arms of Sesshomaru who had turned himself in her direction as she cried out her others name. He gracefully plucked her from the air and placed her down in front of the mirror were Kagome looked on in anxiety bordering on terror; a small blush peppered her cheeks unknowingly and InuYasha's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Why would she blush when Sesshomaru touched her, but not when he did? He walked to Kagome's side and placed a hand on her hunched shoulder; she looked up at him and gave him a grateful, yet frightened look. Whatever was happening to Taiyo could easily happen to Tsuki and even to Kagome herself and the thought frightened him and sent a chill through InuYasha.

The Moon Goddess held her half conscious sister in her arms, an expression of shock and worry mixed onto her beautifully young face; the Sun Goddess stirred in her sisters' hold and opened her stunningly blue chrome eyes and looked out onto everyone who now crowded the mirrors surface. She smiled weakly up at her sister whose eyes had faded to a deep Alice Blue, and then her eyes fell onto Sesshomaru, Kagome and InuYasha. Her smile fell and as she made to get up on her own, but could not; Tsuki lifted her sister up as she rose to her feet, and Taiyo leaned heavily on her twin, weariness settling deep into her ancient bones.

"Taiyo, what is wrong?" Tsuki asked softly into her sisters' ear. Taiyo placed a hand gently on her sisters' face and brushed off the question with a simple smile. Tsuki did not argue, but instead nodded and turned back towards the confused and worried group of friends and allies.

"Come now, everyone through the mirror. Most of you know the drill; come on now, we don't have all day," Tsuki said as she swept a hand towards the slightly shifting scene behind her; it looked as though Kagome's room had been dipped in an opaque, silvery liquid as it shifted and melted behind the celestial twins. Kouga was the first to step forward; he looked at the floor length mirror curiously, noting the burns and molten glass that had hardened on the frame. InuYasha watched him and an evil kind of idea hit him, but he justified it as a revenge type of act and that was ok to him; he quietly brushed behind everyone who stood watching the wolf, and quicker than he could have expected to move, he shoved the wolf head first into the mirror. He hardly heard everyone cry out Kouga's name in astonishment and his name in anger, the only thing he saw and heard was Kouga's cry of surprise, the wolf flying headfirst into the mirror and the loud crash and thud that followed. A smack upside his head and one across his face broke his little trance and he turned to face a fuming Kagome and Elyssa.

"Look, I had too," was all he was able to say before he found himself literally being thrown backwards into the shifting, liquid glass. He had a feeling of intense cold, one he as all too familiar with, before he broke the surface of Kagome's mirror in Japan; he landed on his back, on top of the still stunned wolf prince, and smacked his head against her bed frame. He saw a bunch of little black, gold, and silver stars explode before his eyes as his head made contact with the hard oak frame; Kouga moaned underneath him and the inu youkia sluggishly rolled off of his rival. Both of them lay on the carpeted floor, still and dazed. Kouga was the first to rise to his knees shakily and stretch out his stiff and sore spine, InuYasha followed, but more shakily. He pulled himself up and onto her bed, as soft as he remembered, and lay there; he felt a hot liquid trickle down the side of his face and he knew that it was blood. Kouga plopped down next to him, jostling the concussed inu next to him, causing a growl of pain and warning to escape his throat.

Miroku nearly suffered the same fate as InuYasha, but Kouga reached out a powerful hand and snagged the front of the his robes, pulling him to the side of the bed were he dropped the monk roughly; Sango gracefully leapt through, just barely clearing the dresser top; Ely tumbled through and landed half in and half out of the mirror were she hung hap hazard with her one of her laces snagged on the edge of the bronze frame. Miroku burst out laughing, only to be smacked by Sango as Kouga leapt off the bed, untangled his beloved and carried her to the bed were he set her down gently, as to not disturb InuYasha who still lay there, eyes closed and face as stoned as Sesshomaru's. Sesshomaru came next with all his usual grace and poise, as well as all of his usual cold and stoic demeanor as he glided over to the corner of the room and waited, with his arms crossed. Kagome came last, climbing out of the mirror in a more productive and less graceful way than most everyone else. She went over to InuYasha and laid a kiss on his lips, causing him to open his eyes and look up at her.

"You were bleeding all over my carpet," she said softly. He grunted as he placed a hand over her hips and brought her down onto his lap as he lay still again, reveling in the pressure and heat she was applying to his manhood. A soft chatter filled the room, which included both Tsuki and Taiyo, as she was now looking much more like herself, before the nearly inaudible _**CLICK**_ of the door as it opened caused the youkia to fall silent; everyone else took their lead and too fell silent as the door opened slowly and an all too familiar face to most popped into the room.

"Grandfather!" Kagome cried as she bounced up and down on InuYasha's crotch. InuYasha cursed Jii-chan's entrance at such a tender moment as his manhood continued to be smashed underneath Kagomes' shifting and bouncing weight. All the air left him and a breathless moan escaped him as he rolled over into a ball, his hands cradling his injured self; Kagome fell off of him as he rolled and a hearty chuckle escaped Jii-chan's old frame. He smiled brightly onto everyone in the room and then focused his gaze on the granddaughter he had not seen in many years.

"Kagome, my magomusume; how I've missed you! But we must save the sentimentals for later, right now I suppose you are here on business," he said, his face becoming solemn, a look Kagome had not seen since her fathers death and his first meeting with InuYasha. Kagome's smile fell from her face as she rose and walked to the middle of her room, her hands wound tightly together; she did not know how her grandfather would know why they were here, but she was afraid. He had never met Naraku before and her greatest fear was that he had gotten to him and poisoned her poor grandfather with lies and twisted truths. Sensing Kagome's growing unease, he answered her question before she could ask it.

"An 'old friend' of yours has stopped by and has told me everything, or as much as she knows," he said, the smile returning to his face. Kagomes' face became a sickly pale as she thought back onto the many female duplicates he had created; which one had gotten to her family first and what lies had she whispered into his ear ever so sweetly?

"Woman, what do you mean woman?" InuYasha asked as he sat up, flinching slightly as he did. Jii-chan looked over at InuYasha and his brows furrowed for a minute before his eyes shone with recognition. He nodded and smiled again; Kagome did not like the amount of smiling he was doing, if this "woman" had told him everything truthfully then he should not be as happy as he was to see them all.

"Oh, InuYasha, I hardly recognized you there for a second. Yes, a woman; she looks so much like you Kagome, though, I suppose I should say that you look a lot like her," he said, his voice dropping a bit along with his eyes as he thought this over. Shrugging, he opened the door and motioned for the person who had been behind him the entire time, to come forward. As they entered the room and the afternoon sun lit up their familiar features, a deathly hush fell across the room. Jii-chan shook his head at the silence and looked up at everyone and was not at all surprised at the looks on most everyone's faces; he supposed time didn't heal all wounds.

InuYasha's mouth hung slightly ajar and his eyes were open even wider; Sango's face was a mask of anger and shock while Miroku just sat there next to her, his face completely blank while his eyes were alive and burned with a mix of emotions; Kouga hugged Ely tighter to him while she, on the other hand, looked completely bewildered; a low rumble echoed in Sesshomaru's chest, but his face remained that of polished marble; Tsuki and Taiyo stood solemnly side by side, eyeing Kagome carefully; and Kagome herself stood stock still were she was, her breaths coming in as ragged and heavy pants. Her eyes were intensely glowing a silvery crimson and her fists were curled tightly into her palms, her claws biting the soft skin of her palms; the triquetra upon her forehead was barely visible as it pulsated dimly. She looked upon the face of the woman who she had not seen in many years and whom she had never hoped to see again, except in the fires of hell where she belonged. Kagome spat but one poison and hate filled word to the silent, mirrored face before her.

"_**Kikyo**_."


	23. Two Halves of a Whole

_**Author's Note:** Ok, here's the next chapter. The story is beginning to take a real shape and I already know who the character death(s) is going to be. See if you can guess, lol. **ENJOY YO!  
**_

* * *

_**Ch. 23**_

_**Two Halves of a Whole  
**_

Kikyo stood before the stunned group, her head held high, her face expressionless and her dead, black eyes watching them all intently. Miroku sat silently, no suspicion or hate burning in his eyes, studying her. He saw that there seemed to be something else besides emptiness in her deep pools of murky darkness; a perpetual sadness perhaps. No one seemed to notice though, especially not Kagome who seemed to be literally burning with anger and pure hate; her skin was giving off a thin sheet of amethyst mist, making it seem as if she were literally steaming. Her long talons twitched as her mind and thought process became obscured by a red cloud of pure, animistic fury. Before anyone could stop her, Kagome had launched herself at Kikyo and now held her by the throat as she pinned the ancient priestess to the door.

"What are you doing here? You have no right to be in my house, let alone mingle with _**MY **_family! Now tell me, _**WHY ARE YOU HERE**_?" Kagome hissed into Kikyo's face as the pinned, long dead miko struggled fruitlessly to release herself from Kagome's iron grip. Seeing her obvious distress and knowing full well that the miko had useful information for them, Sesshomaru grabbed Kagome's wrist and applied a subtle pressure to its underside. Kagome's fingers twitched and went numb, allowing Kikyo to pry Kagomes' fingers from her neck and slide out from under her grasp. Kagome turned towards Sesshomaru and the fury in her eyes was bordering on sheer insanity, but the gaze he sent back was one of a cool patience and intense power; Kagome diverted her gaze and backed away from him, head down and fists clenched tight. Sesshomaru turned towards Kikyo and rested his stone cold gaze on her next.

"Answer her miko, why have you come?" he said his voice unfeeling and flat, but commanding none the less. Kikyo looked up at him and then looked away as she began to address the silent and tense group before her.

"I have come to first and for most report to you that I have information that you might find extremely useful in your final termination of Naraku," she said, pausing slightly as she turned towards Kagome and to everyone's astonishment, bowed and then kneeled before her stunned reincarnation.

"Secondly, I have come to apologize to you Kagome. My past behaviors were once fueled by anger and an undying grudge that scarred me deeply and could not be escaped, even in death. It has been many, many centuries that I have wandered alone, seeking penance for myself, and now I have a chance at that, if you will grant it to me," Kikyo spoke softly to the girl who stood before her. Kagome was justifiably suspicious, but as she gazed down at the lusterless, raven hair and pale, cold skin of her arch rival, she knew in both her heart and mind that Kikyo meant every word she meant. Though her heart ached for her to reach out a hand to the kneeling priestess before her, her mind roughly told her to not let the woman off so easily. Turning her back on the woman whom shared her soul, Kagome spoke stiffly; her voice was full of ice, but just beneath it laid a hint of forgiveness.

"I will allow you to make your penance, in time. First you will speak of this information you have on Naraku and fully pledge your alliances to myself and this group. For, as much as it burns me to say this, we are all you have. Also, you must promise that when you finally rest your uneasy soul, you will leave InuYasha with me. No more of the damned drag-him-to-hell-with-you nonsense," Kagome said, her voice still cold and unwavering, but as she turned, a small smile, barely visible to anyone but the priestess at her feet, shone in her chocolate eyes. Holding out a hand to her bowing, long dead rival, Kagome helped the woman to her feet and then walked away, not sparing another glance in her direction. Resting herself in InuYasha's arms as they protectively encircled her in their strong warmth she smiled to herself; watching both warily and curiously as Kikyo scanned the group and began to relay her information, her mind both listened intently to Kikyo, but also wandered and wondered about what kind of penance she spoke of.

"I'm sure everyone is wondering why I have shown myself after all these years, considering all of you thought me to have died during my final battle with Naraku," Kikyo spoke as she clasped her hands together within the billowing sleeves of her red and white embroidered kimono. "Although I was greatly wounded, I did not die, for my body is nothing but a terra cotta shell, constructed from dry earth and wet clay held together by a soul stolen from an undeserving host. No blood runs through me and no heart beats within my chest, so death, as much of a welcome fate as it would be, is almost impossible for me. I crawled away and rebuilt myself with bits of magic I had learned throughout my travels, and have since wandered this earth for the better half of 5 centuries. I did however, find myself becoming involved in a group you may all be familiar with," she said as she paused, seeming to think over how she should relay the news to them. Sighing heavily, she opted to not sugar coat it.

"We call ourselves _**Hikari to Kage**_."

* * *

It was Tsuki and Taiyo's turn to share twin amazement and suspicion, all directed towards the priestess they had heard so much about, but knew little of.

"You mean you were involved in doing this to us?" Tsuki commanded, her anger once again getting the best of her. For being the goddess of the moon, her temper rivaled that of a sun flare's magnitude. Kikyo settled her sad gaze upon the two, imprisoned sister and spoke softly, a glimmer of an apology hinting in her voice.

"Yes, I was personally involved with melding you to Kagome. I was the one who presented themselves at Kagome's house that day and informed her mother of a certain ceremony that could be done to release her daughter from the troubles that plagued her body. I kept my promise as well. Without having melded the three of you into one being," she said as she shifted her gaze from the sisters to Kagome's calm and listening gaze, and then back towards the sisters, Tsuki in general, whose anger had yet to be quelled; her voice had taken a tone of urgency as she continued and this intrigued Miroku, who on some level knew exactly what she was going to say. The truths that she were about to speak drove a cold fear through to his core and he found himself jumping up, fists clenched and a cold sweat breaking from his brow. All attentions turned to him as he stared directly into the soulless eyes of their once rival and saw validation swimming through them. Sensing that Miroku knew what she already did, Taiyo motioned for the miko to stand down; this was news that should be given from trusted lips, so that the full effect could be felt and absorbed. Bowing slightly, the miko took her cue and glided back into the shadows that Sesshomaru had once resided in; watching with earnest intent, Tsuki turned towards her sister, her eyes pleading for a lie to escape the monk's lips. A sad smile was all she received.

"They would have consumed the last bits of Kagome's soul, killing her and forever imprisoning them on the shadow planes of this world's purgatory. Now that they've been melded though, the exact thing that they were doing to Kagome's soul, Kagome's soul is doing back. The half that Kikyo has residing in her body has made Kagome incomplete, and so it is drawing the energy of Tsuki and Taiyo to it, trying to patch the gap that was left when Kikyo was resurrected. The sisters are slowly being absorbed into Kagome and will disappear as the last bits of them as consumed," Miroku said, his gaze staring at nothing, but seeing all that could and would happen if this was allowed to come to fruition.

"Yes Miroku, you are right. The melding was used to save the sisters from a destiny of endless wanderings and to save Kagome as well from an even blacker fate. Myself, as well as the one's who performed the melding with me knew of the risks, but we did not decided to do this without prior knowledge of a way to restore the sisters to their rightful place as protectors in bodies of their own. The Shikon has the power to make each whole once more. For you see, the reason that Naraku is back is that when Kagome breathed a whisper of a wish upon the Jewel, she was already mostly absorbed into his body. Upon granting the wish, the jewel disappeared; the piece that remained pure immersed itself within Kagome once again." Kikyo spoke, pausing as she withdrew herself from the shadowed corner of the room and silently glided over to the shaded windows. Seeming to peer through the green curtains as if they were as transparent as the window that lay behind them, the priestess seemed lost in deep thought.

"You said the piece that remained pure? Are you saying that there is another piece?" InuYasha said, breaking the suffocating silence that now seemed to blanket the room. Kagome's watery, hazel eyes stared up at InuYasha; he saw in her them a fear that drowned out all other emotion, save panic. He saw her clutch at her side, were the scar still remained from her first encounter with the jewel. Tears welled in her eyes as InuYasha pulled her into him, shielding her from the eyes of her bewildered and equally panicked friends; he could feel her watery emotion seep into his shirt and stain his skin as he held her tighter. He looked up from the woman in his arms to the one who once readily feel into them and his deep crimson eyes demanded an answer from her, no matter what that answer may mean and what would follow it.

"The other piece was tainted with Naraku's pure hate and malevolence. The clash of the two purities broke the jewel down the middle, separating the two pieces. As I said before, the pure piece is now with Kagome while the other…" Kikyo said, but was cut off as Kagome stood, her fists clenched and her eyes hard with truth. Her voice was flat, but held a pain that was felt by everyone that heard her words.

"The other piece is in him; it's in _**Naraku**_."


	24. Ingnite

_**Author's Note:**_ OK, so there's going to be some character death in the next chapter and the sister's get a little present, courtesy of a little undead priestess. So, until then, try and not have a stroke out of suspension, lol. _**ENJOY YO**_!

* * *

**Ch. 24**

_**Ingnite**_

The silence in the room could have rivaled the silence InuYasha heard when he was trapped in limbo with Tsuki. Not a breath, heartbeat or swallow of panic could be heard; all he heard was that once again, Naraku had a section of the jewel, and once again, the other part was imbedded within Kagome. Looking up at his long lost love, his eyes met hers and familiar feelings flooded his heart; after she had died he had been broken, but Kagome's love and devotion had filled the breaks in his heart and made him whole; as he locked eyes with Kikyo though, those old cracks opened and the old love he had for her seeped from them. Both girls seemed to sense the change in him; Kikyo looked away quickly as Kagome looked up, studying his gaze and seeing what she had never wanted to see again. It was too much for her to bare now; first she had learned that she once again was the protector of the jewel part residing in her, then she had come to the realization that the other half now resided in Naraku's rotting flesh, and to top it all off, InuYasha was gazing at the once again resurrected priestess the same way he used to. Pulling herself from InuYasha's grasp, Kagome pushed past Kikyo and Sesshomaru as she tore out of the room, leaving a trail of tears and anger behind her.

"Miroku, Kouga, Sesshomaru, InuYasha, I need you four to set up posts along the house to make sure that no unwelcome guests arrive without us knowing. Sango, Ely, Tsuki and I will go tend to Kagome. Kikyo, you remain here until everything settles. Now people, now!" Taiyo said as everyone obediently followed her instructions. The two sisters vanished from the mirror as everyone filed out of the room; everyone save InuYasha and Kikyo. Closing the door behind everyone when he knew that they had gone to do their expected duties, InuYasha turned towards Kikyo who stood looking at him; her arms where folded into the long sleeves of her kimono and her eyes looked at him with emotion she had not felt since she had laid dying in his arms.

"Kikyo, you died in my arms. I know you did, we all saw you fade away," he said as he walked up to her and embraced her tightly in his arms. He felt her wrap her arms around him and squeeze him against her, a feeling he had missed.

"I thought I had as well, but because I was just a soul residing in a body of earth, death was not possible. I was able to conjure up a new body with help from old priests in the lowlands. I rebuilt myself continuously throughout the centuries and now I have found my way back," she whispered against his chest. He breathed in deeply her scent of wet earth and death and found his heart weighing heavily; he had missed her touch and soft voice so much and the memory of her fading from him still haunted him on lonely nights.

Pulling away from him, Kikyo found her lips against his as he kissed her deeply. She tasted his sweetness and her soul ached to have him by her side always; his kiss was filled with lost feeling and ancient love, but also felt of forgiveness and redemption. He felt her nails dig into his skin and she felt his hands entwine themselves in her hair, causing the passion between them to ignite and set fire to their skins. Although her body was not her own, she could still feel the tingling his lips left as they kissed down her neck and although her skin was of clay, it was still soft and felt of skin under his eager lips.

"InuYasha, you mustn't…" but her words stopped short as he all but tore open her kimono top exposing the soft clay skin that lay underneath. If she would have had a heart, it would have thundered beneath her ribs and drowned out the sounds of her heavy breathing as his lips engulfed her from the waist up. Her fingers betrayed her as she wove them through his silk like silvery hair, guiding his head across the canvas of her skin. Her soul's heart and the parts of her mind that had not been fogged over screamed at her to stop, but as he met her lips again and she unbuttoned his shirt to reveal the flawless skin and muscle underneath, a part of her thought it all but stoppable.

* * *

Gazing out of the downstairs window into the leaf littered courtyard, Sesshomaru seemed to be seeing nothing, but looking at everything. His deep amber eyes were open, but slightly glossed over but every so often his gaze would refocus as a small noise outside caught his attention. The thoughts that now filled his mind were startling to him for they were nothing like the coherent, one track thoughts that helped him accomplish so much. Now they were jumbled and ran through his head at a pace that was hard to follow, but as pieced together and incoherent that may have seemed at times, they did follow a reoccurring theme; Taiyo. Growling low to his self as looked away from the courtyard painted with the dusk of a setting day, Sesshomaru crossed his arms and leaned heavily against the wall framed the large sitting window he was assigned to guard. The sun goddess plagued his thoughts and he cursed himself for allowing such trivial, human emotions infiltrate his thoughts. Such things were left to InuYasha and the rest of his human group, or so he thought; closing his eyes, the eldest inuyoukia replayed the first time he had seen Taiyo in his mind, as he had so many other times before. He remembered how her flowing mercury colored hair pooled across the pallid skin of her shoulders and how the intense silvery blue of her eyes had rested on him, peering at him coolly, but with a hint of curiosity in their reflextive surfaces. He had felt his heart skip a beat and his skin heat up; that is why he had hid himself in the shadows, to conceal this very human and very embarrassing display of emotion. Lost in silvery blue thoughts of her, Sesshomaru did not notice as Taiyo appeared in the large mirror that adorned the wall behind him; she watched him as he leaned there and spied a small smile that broke his handsomely stoic features and she smiled in return, feeling the familiar blush powder her cheeks. He was surely the most beautiful creature she had ever encountered in the many centuries of her life and that thought brought about images of him that caused her blush to deepen ten fold.

"How is Kagome," he spoke, his voice flat and cold as stone, and it startled her out of her own deep thoughts. Gathering herself and swallowing her blush, Taiyo could see past his common small talk. She would oblige him for now for his voice was a welcome break in the dark silence.

"She is greatly upset by the news of the jewel and even more devastated by the notion that InuYasha will once again allow Kikyo to fall into his arms. Although they tell her that her fears are not grounded, the latter of which I've spoken of, I'm afraid, is already in progress," she replied, sighing heavily. The presence of Kikyo may be a good omen hidden in one of old, dark intentions; she was not sure yet, but the morning light would tell all in the end. He nodded and turned away from her again, his eyes once again scanning the dark for phantoms and shadows which were not there. He only wanted to avert from her gaze for the feelings that those eyes induced in him where both unsettling and revitalizing. Still sensing her presence in the room, he turned his head towards her and looked at her with hard, golden eyes reflective of his old self; bored yet suspicious.

"Is there something I can do for you Taiyo?" Sesshomaru said, his voice low and unfeeling, though his heat beat harder than it would if he had been battling Naraku. He thought that this was what being nervous must feel like to a human, but he masked it well as was his usual way of dealing with feelings. Her presence commanded his attention and although he meant to ignore her until she left, he gave in to her in the end; but it bothered him not. He would gladly give in to her any time and that thought stirred more confusion in him.

"Oh. Well, no. I just came to check on everyone is all," she half-lied. It was true that she had left Kagome's side to check on the boys, but she had purposely left him for last so that she could spend more time with him. She could still see that he was trying hard to mask what truly lay behind his eyes; she knew he was hiding curiosity and something else and that unknown intrigued her.

"What is bothering you Sesshomaru? You seem distracted," she said and smiled as she saw his eyes flash with surprise. Seeing that she had seen his guard had been broken down, he just looked away quickly and placed his hands in the pockets of his pants. Taiyo knew that he would rather die than speak first of what was between them, or even speak of it at all; looking at his turned back and obscured features, Taiyo just shook her head and rolled her eyes. Why must men, especially youkia men, be so bullheaded she thought as she crossed her arms and took it upon herself to try and relieve the tension between them.

"Listen Sesshomaru, I see the way you look at me, and I know you've seen the way I look at you, so lets stop the indifference for a minute and at least validate the facts," Taiyo said, not really expecting Sesshomaru to respond to her in anyway but to her surprise he turned towards her, his golden wheat eyes burning in the darkened room. He walked up to the mirror and looked her straight into her wide, silvery orbs; his gaze searched both her face and eyes before he spoke softly to her.

"I suppose it was foolish for me to think that I could hide anything from you. Yes, every time I see you I feel, which is not something I'm readily used to. What I feel is still not familiar to me, what you feel is something I cannot answer either; can you?" he asked, his eyes still locked onto hers. She could feel the blush coloring her fair skin and could see in his unwavering gaze that his usually resigned passiveness had fallen and what lay behind it was a youkia filled with confusion, worry and a hint of happiness; the latter elated her for she had caused the prideful, arrogant and impenetrable Sesshomaru, Prince of the Western Lands, to feel happiness.

"When I look at you Sesshomaru, I feel a light heartedness I have not felt in so many long centuries. I've been watching you for longer than you have known and I've grown to be very fond of you Prince of the West. Very fond indeed," Taiyo said and a silence fell between them that needed no words. The gazes that they directed at one another spoke louder and conveyed more than any words could have. For once in his young life, Sesshomaru wished to feel the embrace and skin of another against his and for once in her long life, Taiyo felt the same. She longed to have his arms around her and he yearned for her lips to be against his; both languished to breath deeply each others scent and taste the skin of the other. For now though, they were content with each others presence and the exchange of silent feelings from one to another in the early twilight hours.

* * *

From the unnatural shadowy darkness that had fallen over the courtyard, a pair of glowing carmine eyes shone brightly; watching and waiting.


	25. Death of a Prince

**_Author's Note:_** OK, so I'm so on a roll now ladies and gents'! As so promised and warned, there is _**character death**_ in this chapter ***dum dum dum***. So, lets see if your guesses are right shall we? _**ENJOY**_!**  
**

* * *

**Ch. 25**

**_Death of a Prince_  
**

The fire between them seemed to burn a hot, blue flame as their lips met and skin meshed, but within Kikyo's soul, she knew that this was not right; he loved her, that much was true. His love was not what it once was; he loved her memory and the mingling of their bodies was nothing more than an act of redemption for him. Kissing his sweet lips hard once more, Kikyo grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled his head back sharply. His hazy gilded eyes searched her for an explanation and as she looked at him, she felt tears in her eyes; he made to wipe them from her face, but she just twisted the hair in her grasp harder, jerking his head back with more force than before.

"When you look at me InuYasha, who are you really seeing? Who are you really tasting when your lips touch my skin? Who are you really thinking about when your fingers trace the outline of me?" she said, tears now running free flow down her pale, cold cheeks. He looked at her, stunned and confused by her words.

"I see, taste and feel you Kikyo," he answered thinking that it was obvious enough, but she just tightened her grip on him and he thought that he never remembered her being this strong as a burning ran through his scalp as her nails dug in and his hair pulled free.

"No InuYasha, you don't. You feel my memory, taste what my skin did taste like and you smell what you remember my scent being. When you look at me you see my memory and you cannot love a memory InuYasha," she said as she let him go and he stumbled back from the force. He watched as she repositioned her kimono to cover her still burning adobe shell and then realized that although tears fell from her eyes, they gave no scent; she also gave no scent, had no taste and the warmth he felt under his fingertips and lips was nothing more than the memory of what she once felt of. Thinking harder back, he realized that when he breathed in the scent of her hair, she smelled of soft jasmine and wintergreen and her skin tasted of cinnamon and rain; he had mingled his faded memories of Kikyo with those of Kagome. Upon thinking of Kagome, InuYasha's heart sank and guilt seeped into him, filling him like poisonous miasma. He felt sick and at once hated himself for what he had done and what he had almost done. Looking back at Kikyo as she walked up to his side, he saw the old sparkle of love that resided in her lingering soul and smiled; she was right, he could not love a memory, but that didn't mean he had to forgot it. Smiling up at him, Kikyo placed one last lingering kiss upon his lips, leaving no wetness of taste as her lips met his.

"Take this; it is a gift for the sisters. It will help in prolonging their lives until you can finally send Naraku back to hell. Give it to the houshi, he will know what to do with it," she said as she slipped two vials into InuYasha's hand. He held the vials tightly in his fists and did not turn as he heard her footsteps cease as the door creaked open and felt her eyes linger on him one last time.

"Love her InuYasha; love her like I know you do. She is more precious to you than I ever was and I think you know that. Go to her, she needs you more than anyone else; and you need her more than anything else," and with those words, Kikyo disappeared into the darkened halls and into the silent, still night.

* * *

"InuYasha, where have you been? Taiyo said you weren't at your post and I never saw you or Kikyo leave Kagome's room. You didn't…did you?" Miroku asked as InuYasha came stalking towards him; the look that the new youkia gave him silenced him and the vials that InuYasha handed to him intrigued the houshi.

"Kikyo says that they will help prolong the sisters' lives. Figure it out; now monk," InuYasha said sending Miroku hurrying down the stairs, vials clenched tightly in his fist; the houshi knew what the vials contained. Somehow Kikyo had gotten her hands on a significant amount of each sisters ashes and with them, Miroku could partially resurrect them enough to stop Kagome from devouring them, per say. InuYasha heard the monk crash into the kitchen and begin rummaging through cabinets and drawers looking for the supplies he would need and so the youkia focused his gaze on the door and the girl that lay behind it.

Standing outside of the door Miroku had been "guarding," InuYasha could hear Sango and Ely trying to comfort the stifled sniffs and sobs of Kagome; hearing her in such pain and smelling the tears that endlessly fell from her hazelnut eyes only caused his guilt to fill him, suffocating him under its weight. Entering the room, all of the girls looked up at him; Sango and Ely made to tell him to leave, but one nod of his head in the direction of the door told them to leave the two alone. As Sango brushed past him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him.

"Go to Miroku, he may need your help. We will be down in time," he whispered into her ear and then let her go. Sango looked up at him and watched as he stood there, his eyes never leaving the girl who sat hunched over on the bed, fresh tears still streaming down her red flushed face. Closing the door behind her, Sango did as she was instructed and made her way towards Miroku and the commotion coming from downstairs.

* * *

"Kagome, look at me," InuYasha said as he knelt by her side and tucked her long raven hair behind her ear. He saw that her eyes glistened with tears and that her skin was puffy and red from those tears falling without restraint. He knew that her tears and the anger she felt towards him held strong merit, but he would not loose her this way. Knowing that she would not look at him on her own, he roughly grabbed her chin and turned her head towards him; her now deep chestnut eyes bore into him angrily and tried to look away, but he would not allow it. Jerking her head back towards him he forced her to look at him; he was growing angry and impatient at her resistance.

"What, did Kikyo have to go already? I expected you to last longer than that InuYasha, and I guess she did too," she hissed, her words cutting him deeply. He growled viciously and shoved her backwards onto the bed roughly; as she tried to sit up, he pinned down her wrists and glared down at her with anger and venom in his eyes. She stared straight back up at him with equal hate and venom swimming in her eyes.

"Don't start with me you damned wench. We both know that she couldn't handle me," he growled lowly, baring his fangs at her as the spite behind those words drenched her to the core. She fought and bucked against him but he just reacted by squeezing her wrists tighter, his talons biting into her skin; her blood and body blazed under his equally burning skin.

"You damned filthy, pompous, lecherous, two timing, bastard youkia; God I hate you!" she spat as she stopped struggling and glared hotly into his fiercely glowing eyes. He just growled loudly and met her lips as she pushed up against him to meet his. Their kiss was hot and filled with anger, guilt, lust, and undying love and devotion. Once again, Kagome found herself bare underneath a hovering InuYasha and a malicious smile broke the surface of her face.

"I hope you told Sango we would be down soon, because I'm sure this won't take long," she said, her voice low and daring. He ground his teeth together in anger and defiance; he lowered himself against her and she could feel the heat and smooth surface of his skin as it came in contact with hers. She had to bite her lip in order to keep from crying out and letting him know that she was on the verge of giving in. InuYasha on the other hand let out a lust filled sigh as he felt her skin on his; he nipped her ear and neck gently, making sure he heard the little gasp escape her lips before he met them with his own.

"I love you InuYasha, you pig-headed, arrogant miscreant," Kagome whispered into his ear as she freed her hands and entwined them in his hair; her lips traced the curve of his neck and she reveled in the sounds he made softly as his sweet, peach taste met her each time.

"And I love you Kagome, you contemptible plain wench," InuYasha replied as he in turn explored the curves of her body, the taste of spicy cinnamon tingling his lips. There was no one to interrupt them this time and so they passed and accepted apologies in the form of flesh and whispers; they did not hear the click of the lock as it was engaged and neither sensed the dark barrier that now encased the door, baring their exit. None saw the ruby eyes that bled hate and contempt either as they dissipated from the dark and beyond the barrier to the group that was gathered downstairs.

* * *

"OK everyone, if I've got this right then prepare to meet the Youkia Goddesses in person; or as much of a person that they can be at this point," Miroku said as he cracked his fingers, gripped his staff tightly and turned towards the table that had been set out in front of the full length mirror that Sango had found. In it the two sisters looked on; Tsuki looked both nervous and elated, Taiyo on the other hand looked much like Sesshomaru on any given day; quiet, reserved and overall indifferent.

Taking a deep breath, the houshi opened each vial and poured the contents onto its own plate that was already covered in basil, lavender, parsley, sage, ground ginseng, powdered black liquorice, liquid saiko and bitter black tea leaves. The ashes mixed with the other herbs as Miroku stood above them, one hand clenching his staff while the other hovered above the plates as he chanted ancient sutras; as the words left his lips, the ingredients began to smoke, bubble, and fill the plates, spilling over the edges and then off the table. Either ignoring or completely oblivious to the dark liquid that now seemed to slither across his feet, Miroku continued to chant, though he began to chant faster and louder, seeming to keep pace with the thick substances that now shot across the floor and into the mirror; each thick fluid strand hit its respective sister straight in the forehead where their Triquetra's rested. Taiyo's eyes grew wide and blank as the fluid seeped into her and could be seen flowing through her veins as long black ribbons formed on her face and wound down to her neck, and the same could be seen on Tsuki. As the ugly black veins that marred her skin dissipated, Taiyo swayed where she stood before she fell forward through the surface of the mirror and straight into Sesshomaru's waiting arms; he could feel her cold skin under his fingers and he could smell her sweet juniper scent as held her in his arms. Her eyes opened and their stunning argent color seemed to melt the ice around his heart and the smile she flashed up at him incinerated it completely. He could hear Tsuki shivering in Miroku's arms and he knew that they needed to get both sisters warmed up quickly; picking Taiyo up as if she weighed nothing more than Rin did when she was a child, Sesshomaru nodded to Miroku and Sango as they propped Tsuki up between them and made to carry her off to a warmer area. Everything seemed to stop though as an all too familiar stench and darkness, accompanied by a pair of unwelcome crimson eyes, appeared before them. Sesshomaru placed Taiyo behind him and stepped forward accompanied by Sango and Miroku, both of whom were ready for a fight.

"I'm not here for you three. I've only come to eradicate a small problem," Naraku's voice spoke to them from somewhere within the unnatural shadows and inky blackness that now engulfed them. Sesshomaru could barely see the houshi and slayer beside him as the darkness swam across his feet and brushed along his face; he growled lowly at the wet feel and smell of decay that accompanied the black fog. He was tense and focused, ready to kill Naraku be rid of him once and for all.

"Sesshomaru!" Taiyo cried out from behind him and as he turned he saw that she was fighting against coils of shadows that wound around her legs and began to drag her into their impenetrable depths. Her eyes were narrowed in anger as she tore at the coils that bind her and dragged her deeper in the murk and Sesshomaru felt his beast rumble in pride at the site; ignoring the odd timing and feeling that was spreading through him he made for Taiyo. Grabbing the sun goddess, Sesshomaru pulled her from within the inky grasp and held her close against him; he knew she was not afraid, but was instead weary and as tense as he, for he could feel her muscles coiled tight and ready for another attack.

"Ah, so the great Sesshomaru has a heart after all, and to think, I thought we had something in common. Oh well, she will be the first problem eradicated then," Naraku spoke, his voice filled with a sadistic laughter. The suffocating haze around them blocked out all the senses and made it nearly impossible to judge his whereabouts making his threat even more sinister.

"Boo," Naraku said as he appeared behind the two and with a single blow of his rotting breath, Sesshomaru and Taiyo were sent flying from one another sides and across the room. Sesshomaru hit the wall with incredible force and he could see that Taiyo had landed not far from him; in her weakened state, the force in which she hit the wall dazed her and she was slow to regain her composure. Looking upside down into the mirror she had appeared to Sesshomaru in just hours earlier, she saw Naraku above her, one of spidery appendages poised and ready to absorb her and all her power. Closing her eyes tight and thanking the gods that she was able to feel Sesshomaru's skin and breathe in his scent before she died, she readied herself for the strike, but it never came; she instead felt a heavy pressure on her chest and an inviting warmth that smelled of nutmeg and ginger, but was mixed with the heavy iron smell of blood.

"Sesshomaru," Taiyo whispered meekly, her heart and stoic facade breaking down as she opened her eyes and was met with a soft tawny glow. His eyes smiled at her and she could see the same smile on his face; his long white mane of hair blocked out her view of the unrelenting dark around them and left only his handsome and sharp face. She raised a shaky hand to that face and rested it on his cheek, tracing the light burgundy stripes that ran across them.

"How sickening Sesshomaru. I would expect this kind of moronic display of affection from your half-breed brother, not you. It is such a waste to see you die," Naraku said as he pulled his sharp tipped appendage from within Sesshomaru's body. Taiyo saw pain glaze over his features as his body lifted from her momentarily before it came down heavily upon her. She wrapped her arms around him as tears seeped down her cheeks as she felt his warm blood stain the blue of her robes a deeper red than she dared imagine. Opening her eyes she stared at the demented monster before her and watched as a wicked fanged smile spread across the length of his face, ripping it open from ear; if she had been able to, she would have tore off his face with the snap of her fingers, but now she was at his mercy and all of her begged him silently to kill her. Raising his arm like appendage, he thrust it down upon Taiyo, but just as the tip touched her forehead, a brilliant violet light filled the space and seared away the darkness and the obvious Naraku clone.

As soon as the monstrous creature above her disappeared within the light, Taiyo gently rolled Sesshomaru off of her and sat up; pulling him into her arms, she lay his body across her legs and rested his heavy head within the crook of her arm. Wiping off a trickle of blood that had escaped his slightly parted lips, Taiyo let her tears come to her again as she surveyed the damage the clone had done to the youkia in her arms. The hole in his chest was gaping and blood poured freely from it; that within itself would not have killed him, but what would was the amount of miasma he had flowing through him. Opening his eyes, Sesshomaru was greeted by large, teary mercury eyes and he just smirked as he felt her fingers weave through his own.

"Do not cry, it is a sign of weakness and it does not suite your fair features" he said and the blush that colored her cheeks made the pain that flowed through him subside if but for a moment. He heard a commotion and saw Sango and Tsuki kneeling at his feet; they were holding hands tight enough to cause their knuckles and fingers to turn white and he now understand the need for companionship and friends. They shared in each others pain, fear, happiness and comfort for no one wanted to be alone, not even him. He could saw Miroku speaking with Kikyo and he knew that was who had saved Taiyo from a fate like his and he was thankful and nodded in the miko's direction; she nodded in return and turned back towards the houshi, her expression never changing. Sesshomaru no longer felt the need or want to hide or stopped his emotions and gratitude; life was too short to be so prideful as he had found out to late.

Looking back up into Taiyo's now calm seas of silver, he saw love behind them, an emotion he thought impossible for anyone to feel towards him, or for him to feel towards anyone or anything. Now as he locked eyes with her, he let the warmth and happiness that he felt when in her presence fill him and he knew that this is what love must be like.

"Take care of InuYasha Sango; Kagome cannot do it by herself. Tsuki, you need to be ever more aware now, Naraku will not stop until you die and that cannot happen," he said to them, his voice low and filled with pain, but still had an urgent and no nonsense undertone. The girls nodded and stood, leaving Taiyo and Sesshomaru to their goodbyes. Taiyo refused to believe that this was the last time she would ever see her Prince and once again, tears rained down her cheeks and fell upon his bloodied chest. He raised a hand to her face and wiped them away; seizing his hand in hers, Taiyo held it in place, never wanting to let him go.

"Taiyo, do you remember what we spoke of in the early night?" he said to her and she nodded, her eyes never leaving his. He nodded once and continued.

"I know what I feel now; every time I look upon you, I feel a warmth and peace that I have never experienced before. I feel love for you Taiyo; this Sesshomaru loves you," he said, his voice gargled as more blood drained from his mouth. Taiyo smiled sadly and wiped the blood from his chin; he felt the warmth of her skin on his and wished deep in his heart that he had more time to enjoy everything that was her. Lowering her face to his, he could smell her unique juniper scent and allowed it to filter through the pain.

"I love you too, my prince," she whispered to him as their lips met. He lifted the hand that rested on her face and wound his talons through her pale silver hair and she felt his grip on her hand tighten as their lips met; but the kiss did not linger as his grip went limp and the fingers that had weaved through her hair fell limply to his side. Taiyo did not raise her head, but instead buried her face in his long hair and sobbed; how many more trials would she have to endure before she would be able to have him by her side once again is all she thought as she cradled his lifeless body in her arms. Her sobs echoed off the walls and filled the fragile silence.

* * *

Within the Sun Goddess, a small seed of untapped power was blossoming; nourished by pain, blood and tears.


	26. Heavely Fang

**_Author's Note: _**Ok, only a few more chapters now I think, then it will be done. OMG that thought depresesses me, oh well. I can't draw it out to much. Oh and for those of you who are interested in what some of the LD characters look like, check out my Deviant Art accont, its under the name Psych-comortician. _**ENJOY!**_

* * *

**Ch. 26**

_**Heavenly Fang**_

"**_Sesshomaru_**!" InuYasha's voice cried from behind those gathered in the living room. Looking up from the youkia in her arms, Taiyo saw the young, brash youkia standing on the stairs, his light carmine eyes were open wide and within them tears were evident; tears of both sadness and of anger. She saw Kagome standing behind him, as shocked and horrified as the youkia besides her. Tearing himself from the place upon the stairs, InuYasha swiftly made it to Taiyo's side where she still cradled Sesshomaru's body in her arms.

"Sesshomaru…" he spoke softly, his voice watery and low. She saw him pick up one of Sesshomaru's cold and limp hands and hold it tight against him, smearing blood across his bare chest. Even though his head was lowered, masking the pain that painted his face, she could still see tears rain down upon his brothers pale hand, mixing in with the life that was now pooled under their knees. She saw how his shoulders sagged and his body trembled as his tears came harder and small sobs could be heard as the pain of loosing the brother he had finally gained set in. Taiyo felt the pain within her was shared with the devastated inuyoukia beside her; still holding Sesshomaru's head in her lap, Taiyo reached over and gathered InuYasha within her arms. He latched onto her and dug his talons into her skin, but she did not protest; their tears of loss and pain intermingled over the body of the one who had brought them together.

Kagome looked on, horrified at what she saw before her. What should have been a joyous occasion of welcome to the two sisters had turned into a scene of blood and pain. Putting a hand tightly over her mouth to stop the wail that burned to escape, she could do nothing but watch as the woman who had been her for so long and the demon who was hers, desperately clung to one another over the body of the once great Prince of the West. Hot tears of shock and grief fell from her eyes as the hand over her mouth tightened, leaving her fingertips white and the sides of her face red as her nails dug into the skin of her cheeks. She jumped slightly as she felt a lithe hand upon her shoulder; turning to face the hand that had placed itself gently upon her shoulder, Kagome was less surprised by who it was then she thought, but perhaps it was just the numbness that had settled on her that helped. Kikyo stood beside her, her eyes never leaving her reincarnation; eyes as black as night, but as comforting as the darkness could sometimes be.

"Kikyo…" Kagome said as she pulled the miko towards her where she buried her face into the long red robes the undead priestess wore. Kikyo was surprised at first, but soon held the girl tight against her; running her fingers through Kagome's hair as the girl sobbed into her, she looked at the scene before them. InuYasha and Taiyo still held one another, but no more tears fell. Instead, soft words of comfort and confession were passed between them; Taiyo had placed Sesshomaru's head on the cool oak floor boards and InuYasha had placed his brothers hands crossed across his still chest in a posture of peace and eternal slumber. Looking past InuYasha and Taiyo, Kikyo saw how Miroku and Sango had Tsuki in their intertwined grasps as the Moon Goddess sat between them, her eyes blank and open in a wide stare; the glances that passed between the houshi and slayer spoke silently of comfort, but also of a vow to avenge. Feeling Kagome stir beneath her, Kikyo loosened her grip on her and looked down at the girl in her arms.

"Thank you Kikyo, for saving Taiyo and trying to save Sesshomaru," Kagome said quietly, her voice a rough and tired from lamenting. Kikyo smiled sadly and released Kagome, though Kagome could see sadness fill the priestesses face before her features became hard and unreadable once again.

"Do not thank me, I should have been able to save them both," Kikyo said as she walked past Kagome and over to Sesshomaru. Kneeling beside his body, Kikyo touched his face and felt a familiar cool clamminess to his skin, but something else was there; something that shouldn't, something that couldn't be.

* * *

"_**Lord Sesshomaru**_!" cried a young girl as she sat straight up in bed; sweat dripping from her brow, stinging her wide and frightened eyes as it slipped into them. She clutched the thin sheets tighter against her bare chest were she could feel her heart thundering in her chest; even though the warm air of a Japanese summer drifted into the hut, she still shivered uncontrollably. Strong arms around her warmed the chill on her drenched skin, but could not touch the coldness that now gripped her soul. Looking up into the eyes of the one who had her held tight against them, the young woman smiled weakly up at them; glowing eyes of a deep aqua looked down at her in worry and with a snap of strong fingers, the torches in the room came to blazing life. The dancing firelight showed a face of a young fox demon; his bright orange hair and strong face stood out starkly against the shadows that seemed to burn into the wooden walls of their hut. She smiled at him once more, but his frown just deepened, drawing out the lines of his lips, lips that had tasted her skin on many a nights.

"What's wrong Rin?" he spoke, his voice low and gruff in her ear as he lowered his head and kissed along the curves of her neck. She knew she should be enjoying his supple lips trailing kisses of desire along her skin and so she thought about lying to him, telling him everything was fine, but she knew that he would know, he always did; but she also knew everything was not fine. As much as she wanted to close her eyes and forget about the horrible dream she had just had, she knew she couldn't. Deep within her, she knew what she had to do, but the thought was to unrealistic to bear or believe. Sensing the tensing of the girl under his grip, the young fox demon lifted his lips from her skin and turned her face to his; looking deep into her dark coco eyes, he searched for an answer. Looking into his eyes, she felt herself getting lost within them, but as she was beginning to forget the terror of her nightmare, an unbelievable pain coursed through her and his face flashed before her eyes. His pale, blood stained face, the face that had saved her so many times before, the face that had raised her like she was not just a human child but was his instead; the face of her father.

"Shippo, I need to go to Kagome, now!" she said as she pushed him away and jumped out of bed; the shocked fox demon sat in bed and watched the nude figure of his love disappear into the adjoining room of the hut they had shared together for many centuries now. She returned no more than a few minutes later, fully dressed in kimono reminiscent of the one Kikyo wore when she was alive; Shippo stared at Rin in confusion for in her hands she held a sword all too familiar to him, as it was to her.

"What's going on Rin? Why do we have to go to Kagome and why do you have his sword?" Shippo said as he sat up and leaned towards her. He could sense her impatience and anxiety levels rising by the second; worry, sadness and fear were etched onto her face as she stared out into the hot Japanese night that lay just beyond the open door of the hut. Hearing his voice and seeing that he had not yet gotten out of bed, Rin bent over, picked up his clothes and threw them at him.

"Get dressed Shippo, we don't have time for questions now. When we get to Kagome you will get your answers," she said as she watched him get out of bed and pull his clothes on. She saw his long, orange and white tail whip around his legs, a sure sign that he was annoyed; placing a light kiss on his cheeks, she felt his tail brush against her legs and she smiled against his lips. The smile was short lived though as she pulled away and made for the door. His hand on her wrist stopped her though; as she turned towards him, she saw question and drowning worry in his fire lit eyes.

"How do you expect us to get to Kagome and how do you even know she will remember us?" he said as he let go of her wrist. He watched as she turned from him and closed her eyes, letting the warm summer air and moon glow brush her milky skin. She tightened the grip on the handle of the sword that was slipped through the fabric of her kimono; she had felt his pain, she had seen the mercury eyes of the woman who held him and she had felt him dying. She knew that Kagome remembered and she knew that his only hope of seeing those lustrous eyes with a hint of pale blue again, rested solely on her shoulders now. Turning back towards him, she pulled the long sliver blade from its sheath and held it in front of her; she could see her reflection on the smooth surface of the blade and could feel its power running through her fingers. Looking past the sword at the fox demon standing before her, she reshethed the sword and narrowed her eyes at him.

"She knows us know now Shippo, and we will get to her by using the well. I need to get to him Shippo, before it's too late," she said and with that, she disappeared into the night. Asking no more questions, Shippo followed after her; he didn't know how she knew this was going to work or how she expected to get past the time barrier, but he did not ask or doubt. All he knew is that she needed to get to Kagome and help someone, but what made a cold sweat break out onto his skin was that whoever needed help, needed more than what they could give them; they needed the help of Tenseiga.


	27. Red Tundra

_**Author's Note: Ok, so this has been a long time in the making, but here is chapter 27. I've used a few tradtional Japanese traditions pertaining to the rights of death and then Goryō which just means the vengeful spirits of the dead. So, I have Owl City to thank for inspiration in getting this done! Hopefully the next chapter or two will be up before Spring break. Fingers Crossed! So, ENJOY YO!**_

* * *

_**Red Tundra**_

_**Ch. 27**_

Kikyo watched silently from the corner of the room as Taiyo silently washed Sesshomaru's body; the cool water had been died a deep red from his blood as the Sun Goddess gingerly washed his wounds as if not to hurt the diayoukia who lay motionless and pale in her arms. In accordance with _**sakasa mizu**_,Taiyo silently bathed Sesshomaru in cold water that had then been mixed with hot water, and as Kikyo watched her climb into the claw-footed tub with the body, she had to look away and fight off the overwhelming urge to leave. It was hard enough watching InuYasha perform the _**Matsugo-no-mizu**_, but now watching Taiyo mix her warm tears with the chilled, blood stained water was almost to much for the soulless priestess to bear. She thought she had known what loss was, but she now understood that her loss was but a single leaf in an autumn wind compared to Taiyo's ocean of turbulent lamentation. Looking down and away, the priestess closed her eyes against the scene before her; she had to focus on the things to come. After InuYasha and Taiyo dressed the body and the houshi burned incense and recited his indou, the group would travel back to the feudal era to track down and confront Naraku, for the final time. There was still much to discuss, plan and prepare for, but for now they would have to make do with what they knew. Too much had happened this night to delve deeper into darker things and so Kikyo would leave further discussion of the red-eyed and blackened soul hanyuo until they had reached Kaede. The sound of quiet footsteps forced Kikyo to open her eyes where she was greeted by the flawless, youthful and naked frame of the ancient Sun Goddess. Not seeming to notice or care that Kikyo was observing her, Taiyo retrieved her still deeply stained robes and dressed without a sound that only added to the suffocating quiet that now filled the house. Watching as the diayoukia goddess glided by her, Kikyo closed her eyes and reached out grabbing her arm gently; Taiyo stopped, but did not turn towards her and Kikyo in turn did not look up or open her eyes.

"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight," was all the priestess said as she let go of Taiyo and walked past her.

Taiyo watched as Kikyo slid past her, her robes brushing against Taiyo and her words running circles around her grief stricken thoughts. As she stood and looked back at the still and pale diayoukia in the tub behind her, Kikyo's words echoed loudly within her, drowning out her grief and replacing them with thoughts of better times, as brief as they may have been; but they also filled her with a deep feeling of vengeance. Gripping her hands in tight fists, the Sun Goddess allowed the feeling of vengeance to fill her and it was a new feeling that she felt suited her; the dim lighting in the bathroom grew darker as the light seemed to be drawn to the still and silent goddess. The bulb burst and the only light in the room was to be found in Taiyo's bright eyes and in the palms of her clenched fists; the light that poured from between her fingers grew brighter as hate filtered into her dark retribution. The sound of Tsuki calling her name broke Taiyo from her trance and the light within her hands vanished and so she was left standing alone in the darkened room, Sesshomaru's cold flesh and silent heart her only companion.

* * *

Opening his eyes which felt like they were weighed down by mountains, a white world greeted Sesshomaru as he sat up slowly; running his long talons through his mane of white satin, he tried to clear the thick fog had settled onto his thoughts. Large white snowflakes fell around him in a silent march onto the windless tundra and all that could be seen was the smooth virgin surface of the falling snow that blanketed the landscape. He could feel the flakes sticking to his skin as they melted and ran down his bare chest, leaving small rivulets like tearstains as they fell. Standing up and brushing himself off, Sesshomaru surveyed his surroundings and tried to remember how he had come to this place; closing his eyes, they only thing he could see were soft silver eyes with hints of ice blue. Opening his eyes once more and cracking his neck side to side, the inuyoukia began to walk across the snowy white ground, leaving not a footprint in its soft, untouched surface. The soft snowfall seemed to be relentless and the landscape never ending as he walked for what seemed like days across the mystery land he had awoke in. He felt his patience and clam demeanor wearing away as he endlessly walked, but it was at this breaking point that he caught of whiff of a very familiar yet unknown scent; juniper. As he followed this strangely intoxicating essence it became stronger, but as it did it became mixed with a very familiar and much known odor to the Prince of the West; blood. As he caught the scent of blood mixed with the juniper, he grew angry and panicked which would have surprised him at any other time, but now it strangely did not. Ignoring his lack of surprise, he ran towards the scent and as he did a figure clad in light blue robes with long, flowing silver hair came into view; they were standing with their back to him, yet Sesshomaru felt no threat, only a familiar and ever so strange sense of longing. The sight of this long and lustrous hair hit him hard as a vision of the silvery blue eyes came to him, only this time it was matched with long, liquid sterling hair. He touched his cheek as he closed his eyes and saw the long argent hair flowing over him and brushing against his face; the vision was so vivid that he could almost reach up and entwine the silver locks in his talons, a gesture that felt so familiar, but again he could not recall why and it frustrated the usually stoic youkia prince. He could see the beautifully familiar, iridescent eyes hovering above him nearly hidden completely in the satin hair that brushed against his face. Opening his eyes once again as the scent of blood filtered through his nostrils, Sesshomaru walked up to the blue clad and silver haired stranger and turned them towards him; the scent of juniper wafted from their exposed neck and it caused Sesshomaru's stoic features to soften ever so slightly as he came face to face with his juniper stranger.

"Sesshomaru," the beautiful woman with soft pale skin, opalescent blue eyes and long quicksilver hair spoke from slender pink lips. Sesshomaru's heart seemed to stop beating as he reached out and placed a slightly trembling hand on her cheek; his stonewall façade collapsed as he reached out towards her and he dared not recoil or rebuild his walls for her presence and aura commanded his full attention and all emotion he had kept hidden away, even from himself. Her skin was cold like he had last remembered and he watched as her own hand came and rested on his, her talons brushing gently against his hand as she did. He felt a shiver of wanting run through him as her other hand traced a path down his chest, resting above his thundering heart; yet his inner beast rumbled warnings to him. Something was not right and it knew this, but Sesshomaru could not break the spell this ancient temptress had upon him, nor did he want to. Breathing in her scent and seeing her face stirred a single name that burned in the forefront of his mind and saturated his tongue with a familiar taste and painful longing.

"Taiyo," he whispered as their lips met. He could taste the light peppermint of her lips as kissed her deeply, but as he did, the smell and taste of blood assaulted his senses again; and so now did the taste of saltwater tears as they slid from her face and dripped onto his parted lips as he pulled from their kiss. Her eyes were a wide, cold blue as she stared not at him, but through him; he noticed then that he could still taste blood and as that realization settled in, he felt a hot liquid slip from the corner of his mouth and slide down his fair skin. Wiping it away, he saw a smear of bright scarlet across the back of his hand were he had wiped his face and the sight shocked him as he felt more blood seep from his mouth, soaking his pallet in the metallic taste of his own blood. Looking up from this puzzling sight he brought his attention back to Taiyo, but what he saw stopped his heart cold and sent his already hazy and confused mind into a nightmarish overdrive.

Before him stood a blood soaked and silently sobbing Taiyo; her robes were soaked in dark crimson blood and her soft, milky hands were dripping with the same vermillion liquid that streaked across her cheek as if a hand had rested and fallen from it, staining her with its last gesture. He felt sick as he watched rivers of tears pour from her eyes as she reached for him with her dripping hands; falling to her knees Taiyo dropped her bloodied hands into the snowy ground beneath her and shuddered with silent sobs and ceaseless misery. Watching the scene before him, Sesshomaru was not sure whether to remain still and watch or to fall to her side and cradle her against him; but as he watched he noticed that her bloodied and dripping hands had not stained the snow beneath her, but what did was the blood now running from Sesshomaru himself. Looking down, Sesshomaru saw that the he was not just bleeding, but gushing blood. Never ending lakes of blood poured from a gaping hole in his chest and melted the snow beneath him, causing tendrils of steam to rise from his feet as his life pooled beneath him.

"Sesshomaru," Taiyo moaned as she brought her stained hands to her face and sobbed. He watched as she rocked back and forth in agony, moaning his name again and again. Pain ran from her mouth like a never ending waterfall as rivulets flowed from her eyes, now falling red as they mixed with the blood that now painted her face. Frozen in place by shock and finally by pain as it ripped through him unrelenting, Sesshomaru failed to see the black smoke tendrils that now slithered up from his feet and the low snorts, grunts and growls that were also issuing from the now black pool that was rippling under his feet.

"Do not cry my beauty. All pain will end soon enough," came a deep, snake like voice from behind the hunched figure of Taiyo; Sesshomaru growled low and dangerous as he saw Naraku walk out of the white curtain of snow that still fell. Placing a sickly pale hand on her shoulder, Naraku smiled revealing white, neatly filed and pointed teeth that were in sharp contrast to the deep darkness of his hair and cloth he wore. Looking up from her hands, Taiyo looked straight at Sesshomaru with her blood stained face and burning eyes that pleaded for his help and protection; eyes that pleaded for _**him**_. Sesshomaru's heart once again ran cold as he watched Naraku breath in deeply Taiyo's scent and shudder in hideous pleasure as his flaming eyes rolled back into his tight skinned skull; weakness and emotion would not help him now as Sesshomaru once again built up his walls and focused all of his fogging attention on the dark figure of his true enemy.

"He cannot help you now my lovely Sun Goddess. His soul is food for the Goryō now and there's nothing the big bad Prince can do now. So, how has love and emotion gotten you along princey? Perhaps you should have just let this little sun whore become just another concubine Sesshomaru, instead of letting her sink her claws into you. Oh well, I was going to kill you one way or another, it's just _**so much more fun** _this way. Now say bye-bye Sesshomaru," Naraku said as he knelt by Taiyo and picked up one of her limp arms and waved it at him, a dangerous and arrogant smirk playing across his face as he did. Sesshomaru made to move towards him, but was stopped by the feeling of dozens of little claws digging into his legs and thighs; the claws pulled him down and it took the remaining bits of his strength to remain standing. Looking down, Sesshomaru saw that a chasm had opened beneath his feet and thousands of Goryō were clambering from the flames licking at their decaying hides and towards him, engulfing him from head to toe; they were feasting on his pain, flesh and soul. Finally falling to his knees, Sesshomaru reached out towards Taiyo as she reached towards him; their fingertips brushed as Naraku's laugh filled his ears and a bright aurulent color veined with argent lit up the world around him and swallowed him whole.


	28. Sight

**_Author's__ Note:_**OK, here it is everyone: Chapter 28! I know it's long overdue but I've also uncovered some old stories I've been tweaking and playing with. So without further ado, **_ENJOY YO_**!**  
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**_Sight_  
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**Ch. 28**

"I don't understand how he found us so soon. Maybe it's because Kagome has the other half of the jewel. That has to be how he's tracking us," Kouga said as he paced back and forth absent mindedly. InuYasha scoffed at this as Kagome protested and Kikyo fought to regain control of the situation. A light summers' breeze scented of Jasmine drifted in from the open thatch door of the hut the group had gathered in, quelling the tense atmosphere temporarily. After traveling down the well, Naraku had attacked them once again, though it was Kaede that had saved them this time with a well timed and well placed blessed sutra. All of this chaos and change of scenery seemed lost to only one member of the group though; Ely sat on the cot behind her prince with her legs pressed tightly against her chest and her arms wrapped even tighter around her legs. Her hair fell in front of her wide and unblinking eyes as she rocked back and forth slightly; her gaze was heavily hazed over as she seemed to be lost in tremulous thoughts of things she did not fully understand and of self inflicted exhaustion. Her dreams of late had been troubling and nightmarish and although sleep came to her readily, she fought it at every turn rather than be stalked in her dreams anymore. A lithe hand on her shoulder brought Ely out of her trance as she looked up at an equally tired looking Tsuki. It surprised Ely to see an immortal diayoukia express such humanistic qualities, but she did not dwell on it for long as the thought was lost in the ever shifting tide of her mind.

"What troubles you Elyssa?" Tsuki said quietly although the volume in the room would have permitted her to speak at a normal level. Kikyo was busy outlining their course of action as Kagome, InuYasha and Kouga continued to busily interrupted her with needless and off point interjections. Each member seemed equally as distracted as her, so why did Tsuki seek her out of everyone Ely thought as she locked eyes with the Moon Goddess. In those eyes though, Ely saw the answer and quickly looked away; guilt and confusion once again filling her darkened and abstract thoughts. Tsuki was not having any of it however and lightly grabbed Ely's chin and turned it back towards her, though Ely keep her eyes directed at anything but Tsuki.

"Look at me child and look at me know," Tsuki commanded. Ely timidly obeyed and once again looked straight at Tsuki, though more sheepishly this time. She understood that Tsuki knew what troubled her, and also knew the answer to Kouga's earlier question and this is what terrified Ely. With tears falling from her already reddened eyes, Ely collapsed into Tsuki's arms and whispered the truth the newly resurrected goddess already knew.

"The hate, the hate she feels calls to him, but does not show him. He truly knows… he truly sees…because I _**see**_."

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Standing above the stiffening and soaking wet corpse of her father, Rin lifted Tenseiga in front of her and ran her calloused, slender fingertips along the edge of the blade. Shippo stood quietly behind her, panting slightly from the amount of work it had been lifting and dragging Sesshomaru's body from the tub into the living area, but he none the less watched Rin's every move anxiously. He reflexively went to her as he saw the blade easily slice through her fingers, but stopped himself and let her continue. He may not have understood what she was planning on doing with Sesshomaru's body or even how she knew that he had died, but Shippo trusted his mate enough to know when to let her be. As her blood slipped easily down the sword, Rin felt the blade begin to thrum beneath her bleeding fingers all the way down to the hand that held it steadfast at its hilt. Opening her eyes, she saw that the blade not only thrummed, but pulsed with a deep gold glow that was veined - were her blood had wound around the blade – with a soft silver luminosity. Looking away from the now in tune sword down to the inuyoukia who lay pitifully motionless at her feet, Rin saw a sight that both horrified her and caused her grip on the now humming sword to intensify; gnawing at the body that had cared for her like his own and had nearly sacrificed his life for her on many occasions, were perhaps thousands of Goryo. Small grayish black, mottling and decaying monsters with small bodies, long legs and equally long arms ending in no hands but instead three long and wickedly curved talons swarmed him as they sucked up the remaining bits of his life essence. Rin lowered the blade to her side and the light that engulfed the blade seemed to drip to the floor as it hung there.

"Close your eyes Shippo," Rin said calmly as the Goryo sensed Rin's heated gaze on them and looked up at her, hissing angrily as they saw the Tenseiga and made to scurry away. Shippo spontaneous slammed his eyes shut as he saw Rin smile wickedly as she raised the still seemingly dripping sword and bring it down onto Sesshomaru's body. The blinding golden/silvery light that engulfed them burned his eyes even behind his lids as Shippo screamed in pain; he threw his hands over his eyes and simultaneously dropped to his knees in agonizing pain as nothing but a burning white greeted his panicked sight. Rin paid no mind to his cries as she stood above Sesshomaru's pale body; she was panting heavily as sweat dripped off of her sickly pale face and onto his equally pale and cold features. Swaying dangerously, Rin drove Tenseiga deep into the hardwood floors and desperately tried to balance herself against it even though the world was becoming darker and darker before her failing eyesight. Falling backwards into Shippo's strong yet blinded person, Rin's last thoughts were filled with the strong glow of flaxen eyes as they bore into her and her ears rang with words spoken before the world of light was replaced by one of darkness.

"Thank you Rin, you stupid girl."


	29. Mortal Secrets

_**Author's Note: Hey everyone, sorry for the delay, but I've been in the middle of a big move to NY for school. So again, my bad but here's the newest installment of my masterpiece, lol. ENJOY YO!**_

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_**Mortal Secrets**_

**Chap. 29**

"Ssh, do not cry my young one," Tsuki's voice cooed into Ely's ear as the mortal girl trembled within the Moon Goddess' embrace. Tears fell uninhibited from her tightly shut eyes as she tried to hold back the torrent that seeped from behind her swollen lids. She did not want Koga, or anyone else for that matter, to know of her tears because then she would have to explain. The thought of having to tell everyone, including Taiyo why she was in such misery scared her to the point where her tears dried up, but her grip on Tsuki did not cease. She looked up into the red eyes and light blue pupil's of the goddess, searching for an answer on what to do, what she saw she refused to accept.

"Ely, you must tell them. You cannot deny it anymore. Hiding it is just putting everyone in grave danger. Koga included " Tsuki said as she gingerly raised the girls head so that she could see the girls eyes; she gazed deeply into the pools of dark brown and as the young mortal became entranced in the growing blue of Tsuki's eyes, the goddess peered deep into the girl's mind, past the wall of memory and into her soul. What she saw caused the young goddess' blood to run cold as she abruptly let go of the girls face and averted her gaze. Tsuki knew that Ely had a connection with Naraku, but she thought it was perhaps because Ely was the weakest link in the group, the easiest to gain influence over in one way or another; but this, how could _**THIS **_be?!

"Tsuki...you saw didn't you? What he whispers to me at night, their not lies are they Tsuki? Please, tell me!" Ely begged as she grasped the inuyoukia's robes, her grip as weak yet strongly desperate as her voice.

The Moon goddess turned her gaze on the young girl and it hurt to look into her eyes, knowing that what lie behind them was no longer the mortal innocence she had lived with for so long. Tsuki's silence and sad gaze instilled in Ely what she did not want to believe. This entire time she thought that she had been dragged into this world by accident; been a bystander in a war that was not hers in an era she didn't even know really existed outside of myth and legend. Now she knew that it had all been planned by either the cruel Fates or even by...dare she say it, even in her own thoughts? As she looked at the group before her, still arguing among themselves even as the setting sun burnt their animated shadows into the wall of the small hut, Ely felt both love and regret. As her gaze fell over each member, she finally settled her gaze upon the strong and handsome features of her Prince; she silently studied his profile. His strong, high cheekbones, his strong broad shoulders, the long ebony mane that fell around those shoulders and as he felt her gaze on him, she fell deeply into his light blue eyes as he turned to meet her gaze; they swallowed her in the love and lust that swam in them. He cocked his head to one side as she continued to stare at him, his long tail swishing side to side, like a dog who was happy to be reunited with his owner. She broke her gaze and smiled warmly at him as she finally came to the sad realization of what she must now do. Tonight she would make love to her Wolf Prince for the last time and then she would disappear into the night that would swallow her whole. The night that welcomed her and the wind that seductively beckoned for her. She could no longer walk her friends and her love straight into Naraku's waiting, hungry arms. Looking back towards Tsuki as Koga turned away and back towards Kikyo who still paced the front of the room impatiently, Ely smiled a soft and tender smile up towards the inuyoukia. Tsuki knew what this smile meant and also knew what her role would be in this sad game.

"Are you sure this is what you must do Ely?" Tsuki whispered as Ely stood and resigned herself quietly to the fate that she found herself bore into. Ely looked down into the soft, moist eyes of her friend and knelt down in front of her. Taking Tsuki's soft, lightly tanned hands into her own, Ely grasped them and smiled sadly as she spoke in a hushed whisper to the being before her.

"Tonight, after Koga has fallen into slumber, I need you to retrieve me and take me to the farthest clearing from here. I want you to mask my scent so Koga cannot find me. Please Tsuki, I'm asking you this not as a favor, but as a gift to a friend."

With these words spoken, Tsuki embraced Ely one last time and kissed her cheek, tasting the salty sweetness of her skin as well as the almond flavor that mingled with it. Standing, Ely still held the inuyoukia's hand gingerly in her own; turning her back on the goddess, Ely slipped her hand from hers as she walked up behind Koga and kissed his neck just below his ear. He turned towards her and as their lips met, Tsuki had to look away. Such a fate did not belong to such an innocence, but there was no denying what she had seen when she looked deep into Ely's soul and into the true memories that lay buried within it. She felt a quick hand on her shoulder as Ely walked by, following Koga into their sleeping quarters. Tsuki did not look up or acknowledge this gesture for the countdown had begun. In the morning, this small group would be one member shorter. They would believe that this made them weaker and showed how vulnerable they were to Naraku's attacks; only Tsuki would know the truth. Without Ellysa they were safer and no longer as vulnerable as they had once been when she sat in on their pow-wows and walked with them, seeing and hearing everything they did; and so did he. Opening her eyes as a strong breeze blew her long ebony hair around her shoulders, bringing to her the impossible truth and the burden of it that lay heavily upon her heart and her lithe shoulders.

Kagura was back and had been among them from the beginning; she had been Ely, and Ely her.

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In the darkness that was now her only comfort, Taiyo heard the whispers passed between her sister and the mortal mate of Koga. The mystery and midnight rendezvous sparked a sliver of curiosity, but more than anything a gnawing and hate filled suspicion filled her. She no longer trusted anyone but InuYasha and her sister, and now she was sure her sister was no longer an equally threatened companion, but a co-conspirator. Why else would Naraku not have attacked her, why else would her beloved Sesshomaru be dead now if her sister was not that dirty, red eyed hanyou's concubine?! As hate and venom filled suspicions filled her to the to boiling point, any shred of sanity or humanity left within the Sun Goddess was drown in the sea of despise and despair that now engulfed her deeper into the shadows, Taiyo waited with a cool and cold patience until the mortal whore and Naraku's concubine left to conspire in the depths of the forest. There she would slaughter them with much pleasure and revel in the feel of the traitor's and murderers blood on her skin. The shadows grew darker around her as all the moon and star light was sucked out of the night and into shadows that hung to Taiyo like a finely fitted cloak. Her eyes glowed brighter than the Sun she was so named for and they smiled with such a calm and collected lunacy so deep that they rivaled the wicked smile that reflected in the carmine eyes that stood behind her; watching as the show began.


End file.
